Heartbreak on Valentine's Day OS Contest 2018
by PlatformFanFics
Summary: The following 14 submissions have been submitted for the Facebook group Platform Nine and Three Quarters OS Contest- Heartbreak on Valentine's Day
1. Beginning Brief

**The following 14 works were submitted by various members of the facebook group, Platform Nine and Three Quarters. The prompt they were given was Heartbreak on Valentine's Day. They were told they could do this in any way they wanted.**

 **The following is a list of the stories and the chapter they are in;**

 **Chapter 1:** Welcoming Brief

 **Chapter 2:** Sunset Dreams- Harry Potter x Luna Lovegood

 **Chapter 3:** Just You- Draco Malfoy x Hermione

 **Chapter 4:** His not so lucky charm- Oliver Wood x Hermione Granger

 **Chapter 5:** Heading for Heartbreak- Ronald Weasley x Hermione Granger

 **Chapter 6:** Come back, Be Here- Argus Filch, Mrs Norris, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape

 **Chapter 7:** Pansies for Pansy- Salazar Kenric (Original Character) x Pansy Parkinson

 **Chapter 8:** Eigteen Days-Harry Potter x Ginny Weasley; Hermione Granger x Ron Weasley; Harry Potter x Hermione Granger

 **Chapter 9:** Oblivious & Annoying- Draco Malfoy x Hermione Granger, Hermione Granger x Ronald Weasley

 **Chapter 10:** Rock Bottom- Ginny Weasley x Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley x Neville Longbottom

 **Chapter 11:** Ginerva's Journal- Ginny Weasley x Harry Potter

 **Chapter 12:** Death would have been better- Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange (non romantic pairing

 **Chapter 13:** Trial and Error- Draco Malfoy x Hermione

 **Chapter 14:** One love- Theodore Nott x Hermione Granger

 **Chapter 15:** Cracking Foundation Draco Malfoy x Hermione Granger/ Hermione Granger x Octavius Pike

 **Chapter 16:** Closing Brief

 **We would like to thank all of our writers** **for entering and supporting** **each other throughout** **this** **contest!**

 **We would also like to thank** **anyone who took the time** **to beta for the writers!**

 **We would also like to acknowledge** **that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters,** **locations and any plot lines** **used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being** **made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Thank you for reading and voting** **for this contest and supporting** **the writers.**

 **Love from,**

 **The Platform Fanfiction Coordinators xx**


	2. Sunset Dreams

**TITLE: Sunset Dreams**

 **RATING: T**

 **PEN NAME: Anonymous until after Contest reveals**

 **FACEBOOK NAME: Anonymous until after the contest reveal**

 **PAIRING: Harry Potter/Luna Lovegood**

 **SUMMARY: Harry finds unexpected solace in Luna; but will their blossoming romance go the distance? Can love last under the darkest and most painful circumstances?**

I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

 **NOTE TO BETA:**

 **To KR; you are literally the best human to walk the face of the planet. Thank you so much for your endless support and the constant help; and for putting up with all my stupid newbie questions! I'm happy with what we've achieved!**

* * *

 **October 31st, 1996**

Harry sat perched on a rock, overlooking the Black Lake. Below him, the calm, dark waters were at the same time a juxtaposition and a perfect reflection of his own feelings. Dark, yes. But calm? No. Today was October 31st. He dreaded this day every year. He had always looked forward to it as a child; it was the one day in the year when the Dursley's would leave him alone, the one day he actually had fun.

Halloween was a day of celebration. And yet, he found himself unable to bear it. Because October 31st was the day that Voldemort had killed his parents. It was the day when he woke up to the sounds of screams in his head and a blinding green light that was gone in a flash. And so he came here.

To think, to cry, to imagine and dream…but mostly escape. As far as Harry knew, he was the only one who knew about this place. Which was a good thing. He didn't want anyone to see the salty tears that were sliding relentlessly down his face.

And then, as he was thinking, he heard something pure and silvery behind him. She spoke in a soft, lilting Irish accent, her sweet voice matching her elf-like appearance.

"You know," Luna said, "it's a very strong thing for a man to cry." Harry turned his head, his cheeks still wet from tears. Luna clambered up on the rock and sat next to him. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Her voice never failed to surprise him; and yet, it wasn't a surprise at all. Why shouldn't a beautiful elf have a silvery singing voice? Then she put her hand in her rather large pocket and offered up a pale pink handkerchief. Harry took the solemnly offered kerchief and scrubbed his face rather forcefully.

"May I keep it?" The question surprised even himself. But Luna seemed to take it in her stride. She tilted her silvery head slightly, smiled and nodded. And for more than an hour they sat in companionable silence, legs crossed, arms linked, staring across the lake at Hogwarts.

As it began to get cold, they moved closer together for warmth. Luna laid her head on Harry's shoulder and closed her eyes. They had both been through so much. They deserved a rest. Harry looked down at the silvery-blonde head resting on his shoulder and smiled. And then Harry realised something. For the first time, on an October 31st, he wasn't in pain or miserable. He was happy.

The sun was going down over the lake, casting a deep golden-red glow over the water.

"There's nothing more beautiful than a sunset. It looks like a painting."

Luna sleepily lifted her head off Harry's shoulder. He was relieved, because his shoulder had begun to feel like it was no longer attached to his body. But he wanted her to stay there.

In fact, he wanted this moment to last forever, but he knew this was impossible. They were both reluctant to move. Luna got up first, and after adjusting her rather bizarre looking headband that had come loose, she offered a dainty hand to Harry. He took said hand and pulled himself up, finding her a surprisingly strong anchor.

They headed back to the castle in silence, both deep in thought; Harry was wondering why on earth he had never really noticed Luna before this, and Luna was replaying the last moment in her head, when he had taken her hand to pull himself up…and kept hold of it a little longer than normal.

They arrived back at Hogwarts late and were met by a very irritated Hermione and a rather gratified Ron, who looked as though he had won some sort of bet. But before Harry got a chance to open his mouth and offer some sort of (quite possibly terrible) explanation as to his previous whereabouts, Hermione glared at him and stalked off into the Great Hall. Luna, blissfully unaware of the whole awkward situation, smiled at Harry and tilted her head.

"Remember Harry. Even though they're not here, they're never gone. Just like my mother."

And with that sweet little offering, she turned and skipped away into the Great Hall too. And then Harry realised something. He hadn't told Luna why he had been crying. And yet somehow, she remembered…and she cared. And for some reason, that made him feel warm inside.

He followed Ron into the Great Hall, ignoring the huge grin presenting itself on Ron's face, feeling thoroughly alive, and realising for the first time in a long time, he had felt happy on October 31st.

 **December 15, 1996**

"I don't know why you haven't made things official with Luna."

Hermione had taken all she could of this constant will-they won't-they encounters between Harry and Luna. "Everyone can see that you're perfect for each other!"

Harry and Ron, reading the latest editions of _Seeker Weekly_ stared at her following this unexpected outburst. Hermione continued to attack her hair with a clogged hairbrush in a desperate attempt to control her ever-escaping curls. Harry did understand her though. He and Luna had been spending a lot of time together. His mind drifted back through everything they had done; sneaking into the Library after hours so Luna could show him a new way to keep the Nargles away, swimming in the crystal-clear water that ran in the river past the school, teaching Luna how to ride a broomstick, drinking butterbeer whilst walking through Hogsmeade last week in the first of the winter snow…they had had the best times. And yet in all those different memories, there was one constant; that quirky, sweet, silver-haired pixie.

He was brought back down to earth by Hermione letting out a yell as she tugged on a curl that was far too uncooperative.

"Harry. Christmas break starts tomorrow."

Harry looked at Hermione, not following her train of thought. "And?"

Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "Ronald, you know where I'm going with this, right?"

Ron answered her question with a completely blank look. She may as well have just asked him if he knew why the grass was green.

Hermione stamped her foot and let out an impatient huff. "Ask her back to The Burrow for Christmas you dimwit! I know for a fact her father has to write over Christmas. She'll be all alone! Just ASK HER ALREADY!" Her voice rose at the end of her sentence as she glowered at Harry in obvious frustration.

"That's just the problem Hermione. I'm afraid to. Because everyone I love dies in the end. It's only a matter of time before she gets hurt."

Hermione glared at him. "That's her decision to make. Not yours." Harry looked away with tears in his eyes. Hermione's gaze softened. "You deserve to be happy, Harry. And so does she. Don't let fear get in the way of what could be something amazing."

With that, she turned and left the Common Room, rather in a hurry. He heard her mumble something about Ancient Runes class on the way out the door. Ron stared after her, a vacant look on his face.

Ron turned back to Harry. "Speaking of Christmas, mate…you packed yet?"

Harry groaned, thinking of all the clothes and books that were currently spread out over the dormitory floor. As he headed to the dormitory, he paused in the doorway."Do you reckon your mum would mind if we had an extra for Christmas?"

Ron grinned. "Nah mate. She loves Luna."

Harry felt his cheeks tinge red slightly and turned to go up the stairs, so Ron wouldn't see him blush.

He found Luna sitting alone in the Great Hall, staring wistfully into space, and looking at nothing in particular. He walked up to her slowly, inwardly rehearsing what he was going to say. What if she said no? What if she didn't like him? It's not too late, you can still turn around. You can still leave. But he kept walking, past the Hufflepuff study group, past Hermione studying hard on her own as usual, past the Weasley twins who kept sniggering in his direction and winking to each other…until he was sitting opposite Luna.

She still hadn't appeared to notice him, stuck in her silent, whimsical reverie."Hello Harry". Her soft voice surprised him. She still wasn't looking at him, but he knew she was listening.

"Luna. I was wondering if…if…" His words trailed off. What was it he had wanted to say again?

Luna looked at him with a soft smile. "It's only me, Harry. I'm nobody really. You can tell me."

Only her? Nobody? He wanted to tell her then and there how beautiful she looked, how sweet and kind she was, how she made him feel…but he couldn't find the words. Instead:

"Luna, wudyouliketospenChrismwime?

Luna laughed, a pure and sweet sound that made Harry go weak at the knees. "Harry, you're going to have to slow down and speak up a little," she spoke with laughter in her voice.

He took a deep breath and started again. "Luna, would you like to spend Christmas with me…er...with the Weasley's…well, what I meant to say was…would you like to come and stay at The Burrow for Christmas? There was a brief pause that seemed to last forever as Harry held his breath and watched her. This was killing him.

Then: "Yes."

One simple word that had his heart pounding. Yes. And once again, Harry had something to look forward to.

 **December 16, 1996**

Harry awoke early, a genuine wave of excitement hitting him; followed quickly by a pang of fear. It was too early to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast, so he took his throw rug and quietly slipped down to the Common Room. He sat on the couch looking wistfully into the fire. Once upon a time, what felt like an age ago, he would have been happy to look into that fire. But now it held nothing but painful memories and a sad reminder of what could have been; because Sirius was no longer here. His face would never appear in the fire again.

"HARRY!" Ron's voice broke through his contemplative silence. "WE'RE GOING HOME! NO MORE SCHOOL!"

Harry smiled at his friend's exuberance and felt the cloud of guilt and sorrow lift a little. Things were always easier to bear with friends to lean on. After all, he thought, it's Christmas.

They headed down to the Great Hall for their final breakfast of the school year; as they went through the doors, Harry felt his stomach tied in knots, as his eyes searched for his blonde-haired friend. But there was no sign of her yet. His face fell slightly. Ron didn't notice, but as she took her seat between Fred and Harry, Hermione saw and smiled slightly. The boy had it bad.

"NEVILLE, GET ON THE TRAIN!" Harry, Ron and Hermione heard Lavender Brown shrieking from a window about three carriages down and ran to their own window to investigate. What they saw made them howl with laughter.

Trevor, Neville's toad had escaped again, and was making his way down the platform, staying just out of reach of poor Neville; Neville would dive for the toad, and Trevor would take one giant leap just out of his grasp. Harry and Ron were crying with laughter. Hermione giggled, but when she heard the train whistle blow with poor Neville still not on it, she took pity on him.

She pointed her wand at the toad. "IMMOBULUS!" Neville almost cried in relief, grabbed the toad and jumped on the train as it started moving. Ron and Harry were still rolling around laughing. Hermione shook her head, smiling . Would these boys never grow up?

The train pulled away from the platform, with the students hanging their heads out of compartment windows to wave goodbye to their second home. As they reclaimed their seats on the train, there was a light knock on the door. Their heads turned to see Luna poking her head in the door. "May I join you? I was late on to the train and everywhere else appears to be full."

Harry jumped up too quickly, banging his head loudly on the luggage racks above their heads. Hermione smirked and Ron sniggered, while Harry felt the blood rush to his face. He wasn't usually this clumsy, but Luna did things to him. His heart rate felt like it was spiralling out of control. He suddenly felt rather dizzy, and fell back against the seat, his head spinning.

"Are you alright, Harry? Did that hurt?" Her silvery voice brought him back to reality. He suddenly realised that she was sitting on the seat beside him, with her small hand placed on the back of his head as if to wish it better.

Harry sighed in embarrassment. "I'm fine. Thanks Luna." He saw in the corner of his eye Ron huddled in the corner shaking with laughter, while Hermione was opposite him grinning into her book. He sank back into his seat and closed his eyes, determined to ride out this humiliation in peace.

Harry didn't even realise he had fallen asleep. To his right, Hermione laid curled up and purring quietly, still clutching her book. Opposite her, Ron lay with his head lolled back, mouth open- drooling slightly and softly snoring. Feeling something touch him he looked down. Luna was sitting close to him, her head resting on his shoulder, eyes closed, hair falling over her face.

He lifted his hand and tucked loose tendrils of her hair behind her ears, resting his hand awhile on the smooth, soft skin of her cheek. Then he lay back again and closed his eyes, perfectly content. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.

The Hogwarts Express pulled in to Platform nine and three quarters at Kings Cross Station in the early afternoon. All the students filed off the train, running into the arms of loving parents and excited brothers and sisters, babbling about the school term and excited to be back home for the holidays. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Luna waited until everyone else was off the train before they too reluctantly stood up.

Harry reached up to reach Luna's bag for her; he was rewarded with a beaming smile that made his heart melt. Hermione smiled and shook her head slightly. Ron sniggered.

"Neville, I told you to take better care of that pet!" Neville's grandmother had heard about his little escapade with Trevor and was now giving him a stern lecture on the etiquette of keeping pets.

As the small group shuffled past, Neville caught Hermione's glance and mouthed a thank you with wide eyes. Hermione smiled at him and they kept walking to the barrier. On the other side of the barrier, no one was waiting for them.

Ron wasn't surprised by this. "Mum and Dad are getting stuff ready for Christmas; Mum never goes out at Christmas!"

Harry couldn't help but feel a little relieved. Mrs Weasley was always a little too liberal with the hugs for his liking. He was more than happy to postpone the displays of affection.

Ron headed for the little coffee store hidden by the station entrance. "Muggle repelling Charm," he said, "it's hilarious. Muggles keep walking up to it then suddenly remembering they have other things to do. Dad sat here all day once, watching Muggles doing one-eighty degree turns at the door. Reckons it's the funniest thing he's ever seen."

They walked in the door of the coffee shop and found Fred and George waiting for them at a table with a rather bizarre looking flower vase on it.

"Come on you lot," said Fred.

"Christmas is coming," was George's contribution.

Harry stood there looking utterly bewildered as the others all took seats around the table.

Ron kicked his ankle. "Portkey, Harry!" He grabbed it just in time, and soon his stomach had that familiar feeling of being flung through the air at a rapid speed and then falling rather quickly towards the earth.

Unlike the occasion of the Quidditch World Cup though, this time Hermione slowed their descent, so at least they were all upright when they landed. Ron looked slightly green, Hermione slightly frazzled, Fred and George thoroughly entertained, and Luna...well. Luna looked like Luna. Perfectly normal. Perfect.

And there it was. The Burrow, his home away from home. The people in that house were the closest thing he had to family. And no, he didn't count the Dursley's. As he stopped a few metres away to take it all in, he thought he was the last one in the house; but just before he walked in, he felt a small hand slip into his and squeeze it.

"It's an unusual house. I love it." Luna spoke in a whisper, then let go of his hand and skipped inside. He watched her go with a smile on his face. That girl was always happy.

Then he followed her, ready for the onslaught of hugs and, to his disgust, kisses, from the Weasley females.

"Harry dear, so good to see you again!" This, as he was engulfed in a huge hug from Mrs Weasley that squeezed his stomach and his liver together. She finally released him but not before she planted a kiss on his forehead.

Then it was Ginny's turn to envelop him in a hug; she had once had a huge crush on him, which had been reciprocated, but they both quickly realised they were better off as friends and were extremely close. She gave him a playful punch in the shoulder, and after a pointed glance at Luna and a wink at Harry, she released him into the clutches of Fleur Delacour,

"Haree, it iz so pleasant to see you again." Fleur kissed both of his cheeks and his forehead and let him go. But not before she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Zis Luna, she is a pretty girl, no? She is sweet. You 'old on to zis one Haree." She smiled at him as she drew away and went back to staring lovingly at Bill, her hand tracing his scars, her face showing her happiness.

Bill and Fleur were going to be married, and she looked so proud of him. Harry hoped that one day someone would look at him like that. And he hoped that it would be Luna.

He looked over to the dining room, where Luna was now enclosed in a Molly Weasley embrace. But she looked thoroughly happy and content in those arms. And then Harry realised; Luna hadn't had a mother figure for many years, not since her own mother had perished in a magic-induced accident.

So this hug probably meant the world too her. Harry felt his heart hurt for the sweet little witch. They had both suffered great loss, which weighed heavy on them, but both of them kept it well hidden. Harry hoped that this Christmas would be one to remember.

 **Christmas Morning, 1996**

Luna awoke early on Christmas morning. She hadn't had a real Christmas in so long, and she was determined for this one to be magical. So she got up out of bed, slipped on her dressing gown and slippers over her pyjamas, and silently crept out of the room she was sharing with Hermione and Ginny.

She tiptoed down the rather rickety stairs, miraculously not making a sound. She stopped dead in the hallway at the sight of the Christmas tree in the family room; it wasn't the largest tree, but it was so lovingly decorated with such lovingly made ornaments. She had never had a tree like that. Her eyes flooded with tears that silently slipped down her cheeks.

Luna quietly slipped out the front door and stood in the crisp, cold air, letting it fill her senses. So this is what Christmas felt like. She let her mind wander back to sitting with Harry on the train, the touch of his hand on her face, his strong, safe arms. She could be happy with someone like Harry. Maybe it could be Harry.

The thought made her smile. Then Luna heard the door open behind her, and Harry stepped out into the cold. He stood next to her, and they remained in friendly silence for a few minutes. Then Harry reached down and took her small hand in his and held it tightly. She looked at him and smiled.

 _This really was the perfect Christmas_.

Later that morning, Luna had disappeared. Fred and George were busy chasing the Gnomes around the garden practicing all sorts of transfiguration and vanishing spells on them while the Gnomes were yelling insults at them in reply.

Hermione and Ginny were doubled over laughing when a rogue Gnome flung a rather sturdy fence post at George's head which he skillfully ducked.

Fred grinned at his twin as he lay sprawled on the ground, then had to duck himself when a Gnome came hurtling towards him at tremendous speed,having been hurled by a larger Gnome. The girls were now in stitches.

Mr and Mrs Weasley were busy cooking the Turkey for dinner; Mr Weasley had insisted that they use Muggle methods, and was trying to figure out how to get the stuffing inside the turkey, refusing any help.

Ron had been told to help Bill arrange the table and was getting the cutlery settings all mixed up and round the wrong way. Harry walked past them all trying to find Luna. He kept climbing up stairs until finally he heard a beautiful melody coming from a room that he had never even noticed before.

He followed the lyrical voice into a small, dusty room. Almost all the furniture had white sheets draped over it, but there, overlooking the yard, was a very old and weathered upright piano; and playing the instrument accompanying her own sweet and pure singing voice, was Luna.

 _"Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling,_

 _From glen to glen, and down the_ _mountainside,_

 _The Summer's gone, and all the roses falling,_

 _Tis you tis you, must go and I must bide."_

The lilting melody of the beautiful song brought tears to Harry's eyes as he silently stood in the doorway and listened. Luna finished the song, and without turning around, she spoke.

"My mother used to sing that to me. She taught me music, you know. It's sad she's gone, but at least through this song I feel connected with her. It's almost like she's here."

Luna stood up from the piano and turned around, showing her own eyes swimming with unshed tears. Harry couldn't help himself. He walked to where she stood at the piano and gathered her up in his arms, pulling her tight to his chest. He felt her relax into the embrace and heard a quiet sob.

And then they sat together at the piano and he held her tight as she cried, ddeciding right then that he would never, even for one second, let this girl feel alone.

Christmas day was almost over. Christmas dinner had been eventful; Mr Weasley had insisted on using a carving knife to dismantle the turkey, but ended up slicing his arm. Hermione came to the rescue with Essence of Dittany, then took over the carving whilst Mr Weasley looked on fascinated.

Fred and George had placed dung bombs under everyone's seats (to "test out the products" they claimed), so when they sat down, the first ten minutes of the meal was people wafting their plates in front of their faces to get rid of the stench. Charlie had turned up with a baby dragon that was trying to set Mrs Weasley's tea towels alight.

Ron had accidentally turned his drinking glass into a small pot plant. Hermione was trying to magically resurrect the burned roast vegetables. In all the chaos, Harry looked across the table at Luna and they both laughed.

The family had gathered in the living room around the tree. Harry looked around at the happy, smiling faces of the people he now considered family and smiled. This was home. In the midst of a hilarious game of Wizard Charades, Luna jumped up from her perch on the floor next to Ginny and started collecting empty glasses.

Harry immediately jumped up to help her. As the pair approached the kitchen door, they felt themselves glued to the floor. At first, Harry was slightly concerned that he would be stuck there for good; that is until Luna, a pink tinge to her sweet face, pointed to the roof. Enchanted mistletoe. He should have known.

"You know what you gotta do, Harry!" Fred and George guffawed as they watched Harry and Luna's predicament. Harry knew that a peck on the cheek would free them, but in that moment, there was nothing he wanted to do more than kiss her.

Luna looked up at him, her entirely kissable lips turned up in a playful smile. Her silver eyes were laughing. Harry looked from the mistletoe to where Fred and George were laughing, to Mrs Weasley's approving face, to Ron's grin and Hermione's beam, back to Luna's beautiful eyes. And then he leaned down and kissed her sweetly, the sounds of laughter and whistles fading into the background.

The household began to quieten down after midnight. People started shuffling off to bed in dribs and drabs as they began to tire from the Christmas revelry. Hermione remained, sitting by the fireplace, her curly brown head stuck in a book.

Ron was sprawled over an armchair, eyes closed, mouth open, snoring quietly. Luna was sitting in the window seat, staring out into the night, in her own peaceful world. Harry sat on the floor leaned up against Ron's armchair. He was lost in a reverie, when he heard Luna's soft voice from the window.

"Harry. Come and look." Harry pulled himself up from the floor and walked sleepily over to the window. Luna placed her hand in his and whispered, "Harry, look outside. It's snowing. Isn't that a beautiful kind of magic."

He smiled at her and wrapped her in his arms, and kissed her softly on the top of her head.

"Luna," he said quietly, "would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me when we go back to school?"

"Sure Harry. We go there all the time!" Luna smiled.

Harry squirmed inwardly. " No, Luna, I mean...just you and me. Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me. On a date." The last sentence rushed out of his mouth as if he was afraid of her answer. Luna looked back out the window.

Then: "Yes."

Another yes. He jumped for joy on the inside.

Even later that night, Harry crept into the room he was sharing with Ron. True to form, Ron was already fast asleep. Harry turned onto his side, pulled the covers up and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Luna tiptoed into the room she was sharing with Hermione and Ginny; and the opposite scenario greeted her. Ginny and Hermione immediately leapt out of bed and tackled her to the bed, their grinning, excited faces portraying their happiness for their friend.

"SO?!", exclaimed Hermione, "tell us what it was like!"

Luna looked confused. Ginny looked excited,but impatient.

"Kissing Harry!" Ginny nearly shouted, but remembered people were asleep.

Luna smiled dreamily. "It was nice. For a few seconds it was like time stopped. And I think my heart skipped. And the colours were beautiful. He has a beautiful aura, you know. When I look at him I see the colours of sunset. Sunsets are my favourite things. Do you know why?" She paused in contemplation. Ginny and Hermione watched her solemnly in silent comfort as a single tear slid down her face. "They remind me that endings can be beautiful too. They remind me of my mother."

Ginny and Hermione hugged her tight. "Harry is lucky to have you, Luna," Ginny whispered in her ear. Luna felt Hermione nod against her shoulder. She smiled. _"I think I'm pretty lucky too."_

 **January 10, 1997**

Things were back to normal. After the Christmas holidays, the students had returned to Hogwarts refreshed, excited, and ready for another school term. Word had spread like wildfire through the school that Harry Potter was dating Luna Lovegood; reactions ranged from disbelief to resigned humour, but their friends were just relieved to see them both this happy again.

They spent as much time together as possible. On weekends they would walk to the rock overlooking the lake and sit talking. Other times they would study together in the Great Hall or the Library, go for walks outside in the snow, and explore the castle grounds.

But they hadn't yet been on a date. _Until today_.

Harry and Luna wandered hand in hand through Hogsmeade looking in shop windows and soaking up the magical winter atmosphere. Carolers stood by the village Christmas tree singing, little strings of lights seemed to be suspended in the air, shop fronts were hung with tinsel and mistletoe remained strung from the quaint lamp posts.

 _This was perfect._ Perfect scared Harry. He had never had perfect before. He squeezed Luna's hand tighter, and as if she knew what he was thinking, she touched a hand to his cheek and whispered, "I'm not going anywhere."

He held her hand to his face and closed his eyes. "Luna Lovegood. I think I might be falling in love with you."

Luna smiled up at him. "Catch up Harry. I'm already in love with you."

 **January 30, 1997**

The Wizarding War was raging on. Just last week, Harry had heard about seventeen more attacks by Death Eaters on non-magic families, five more people killed, three Ministry officials mysteriously disappearing…Voldemort was still out there, and the very real possibility of an attack on Hogwarts remained an ever-existent threat.

That night, Harry couldn't sleep. He lay in the Gryffindor boys dormitory restless, unable to find a comfortable position. He wanted to sleep, but he was afraid to close his eyes. Sleep brought with it the risk of nightmares…or even worse, visions.

In the past those visions had come true. They had been a source of pain and discomfort and guilt, and Harry was terrified of what might be revealed to him. But soon, unable to keep his eyes open, he succumbed to the frightening blackness.

When he awoke, Ron was kneeling beside his bed looking terrified. Harry found himself lying sprawled on his back in a pool of sweat, shivering and whimpering softly, tears falling softly down his face.

"Harry, mate, what did you see?" Ron's voice was quiet and filled with fear as he grabbed Harry's hand and helped him sit up.

Harry closed his eyes trying to shake himself out of the terrified stupor he found was overtaking his senses. He exhaled slowly.

"We were…we were…" He could barely speak through chattering teeth. "We were running," he whispered, "we were in the Forbidden Forest. The Death Eaters, they…they…" His voice choked. He paused. "They tortured her, Ron. The..the…Cruciatus Curse. Because of me." He let out a little sob.

Ron's eyes widened in fear. "Who, Harry?"

Harry just shook his head. Then: _"Luna."_

 **January 1st, 1997**

Harry sat on the edge of his bed, shaking, with Ron sitting opposite him looking worried.

"Harry, mate, it might have just been a dream. Like...like the last time." He couldn't bring himself to say, "like that time we thought Sirius was being tortured." Those wounds were still raw.

"Not this time Ron. Not this time. This time I saw it clearly; and I _felt_ it. I felt her pain. I don't understand Ron. What were we doing in the Forbidden Forest?" He had to figure out a way to protect the people he cared about. He thought back to that vision of Luna writhing on the cold ground screaming. He had to stop this. He couldn't lose Luna.

Harry saw Luna walk towards the Black Lake. He knew where she was going, and he wished she wasn't going there. He knew what he had to do to keep her safe, but it was going to break both of their hearts.

And just two weeks before Valentine's Day. He had planned a perfect day, and now it would never happen. He stood watching her for a minute, then clambered up beside her.

She lay her head on his shoulder in that familiar position. Why did she have to be so beautiful? Why did she have to love him? This was already so hard. "Luna. We need to talk."

Luna's voice floated up from his shoulder, "Alright Harry. What do we need to talk about?"

Harry took a deep breath. "We need to talk about us. This has been so wonderful Luna. It really has. But I think we should...take a break." Those words sounded harsh, even to his ears. Lifted her head up and stared at him. He felt her silvery blue eyes burning through him.

"Are you going to tell me why, Harry? Was it something I did?" She didn't sound angry. She didn't cry or scream at him or raise her voice at all.

Her voice was still soft and musical; but Harry could tell by the steely look in those beautiful eyes that her heart was broken. He wanted to hold her and tell her that everything would be alright, that she was safe; but he couldn't.

And right now, he hated himself for what he was doing to her. It took every ounce of strength he had to keep from running after her as she turned away from him and ran back towards the castle. One day, he hoped she would understand.

One day when this was all _over._

 **Valentine's Day, February 14th, 1997**

Luna awoke to the sounds of giggling and hushed whispers. She groaned and rolled back into her pillow. Even the girls in Ravenclaw lost their heads on Valentine's Day. She had always thought it was an exciting day, filled with love and laughter; until two weeks ago when Harry Potter had broken her heart.

 _No_ , not just broken it. She felt like he had ripped it out and trampled on it. She had been so open with him; and she had fallen in love. She was in love with Harry Potter. She had been so happy in her little bubble. Tears filled her eyes and she hurriedly wiped them away with her sheet. _So much for sunsets_.

Harry woke up to a rather different scene. Ron sat on his bed eating from a heart shaped box of chocolates, eyes wide with a rather pathetic expression on his face. Hearts. Great. Valentine's Day. "Harry, I think I'm in love."

Harry held in a snort of laughter, remembering the last time Ron had eaten chocolates spiked with a love potion. "Who is it this time, Ron?"

Ron gave a great long sigh. "Pansy Parkinson."

Harry choked on a mouthful of air. "PANSY?! Ron are you out of your mind?!"

Ron gulped. "She's so beautiful though Harry. _Her hair...and her eyes...and she's so_ _smart…"_ his words trailed off as he listed off Pansy's apparently brilliant attributes.

Harry was now laughing uncontrollably. Who knew that Pansy Parkinson had a crush on Ron Weasley. And then a thought hit him. "Ron, who were those chocolates supposed to be for?"

Ron looked a little guilty as he turned red and after a few seconds pause blurted out: "Dean."

Harry headed down to breakfast, a lovestruck Ron in tow.

As they passed the Slytherin table, Ron caught sight of Pansy and yelled, "Pansy, come to Hogsmeade with me?" He got the exact response Harry presumed he would; a disgusted glare from the girl in question, after which she proceeded to turn her back to him and completely ignore him.

Harry dragged his friend towards the seats at the table Hermione had saved for them and forced Ron into one. Harry looked around the Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore had _clearly_ had great fun with the decorations this Valentine's Day. The enchanted ceiling was decorated with thousands of dangling red and pink hearts. The table decorations had changed from the regular house colours to red, and even the food had been coloured pink and red.

The girls were all squealing in delight, whilst the boys were all greatly disgusted. Then his eyes stopped on one blonde head and his heart hurt. She sat at her place on the Ravenclaw table, lying with her head in her arms. This was a miserable day for both of them; Harry because he longed to explain why he had to let her go, and Luna because she didn't understand. He had stolen her heart before she had even realised; and then he had broken it, and she didn't know why. She lifted her head and saw him watching her; gave a small almost-smile, then looked away and put her head back down. He felt his eyes fill with tears and quickly blinked them away. _What had he done?_

Valentine's Day was insufferable. Harry wished he could have slept right through it. He had to sit through Ron's pathetic attentions towards Pansy Parkinson, who was, in turn, constantly following Dean Thomas around.

Harry's old girlfriend, Cho Chang, kept staring at him, which made his mood get progressively worse; every time he looked at her he thought of that awkward first Valentine's Day date at Madame Puddifoots in Hogsmeade.

This made him remember the amazing day he had planned for Luna, which brought him back to the fact that he was now _alone_ on Valentine's Day because he left Luna. What made it worse was the fact that he had offered her no explanation; and now they were both miserable.

Luna was trying to be happy. Hermione had received a large bunch of bright sunflowers from an anonymous sender and was gleefully trying to cast revealing charms on them to ascertain their origin.

Ginny was blissfully happy; Neville Longbottom had kissed her in the middle of the Gryffindor common room quite unexpectedly, and she was now giggling with happiness and describing the date Neville had planned for them.

 _Even_ the Patil twins and Lavender Brown had managed to score dates for lunch in Hogsmeade. Luna sighed and opened her copy of The Quibbler. This was going to be a long day.

There was only so much Luna could take. Second and third year students kept running past her yelling, "There goes Loony Lovegood," which wasn't exactly pleasant. To make matters worse, Peeves had been egging them on until Fred and George Weasley came along and put protective arms around her and escorted her to her common room.

"Alright there, Luna?" Fred's question hung in the air unanswered as Luna fought back tears.

George looked meaningfully at Fred, then headed off to find Katie Bell for a one on one Quidditch rematch. Fred had always been better at the deep and emotional conversations; George felt uncomfortable.

Luna began to cry. For the first time in a long time, she let herself cry the pain away. There were so many unshed tears; tears for her mother, tears for her father's loneliness, memories of the happiness she had known as a child which was stolen from her too early, tears for the constant bullying which she had always tried to ignore or shake off, tears for her heart, which had just started to heal, only to be broken again by Harry Potter.

Fred held her in a warm hug and let her cry into his shoulder.

When she was all out of tears, she sat huddled in Fred's safe arms, shaking with emotion. "Fred? Why did Harry leave me? Am I too...strange?"

Fred was outraged. "No Luna. No. You are unique. You wouldn't be Luna if you were different. Sure you're a little different, but different is good, great even. Different makes you extraordinary. Do you hear me?" Luna turned her tear-streaked face to look at Fred. She saw the genuine concern in his eyes and nodded.

Luna let go of Fred and stood up. "Thank you, Fred. You're a wonderful friend."

She turned to leave, but as she skipped away to the entrance of the Ravenclaw common room, she turned back to him.

With a bright smile on her face, she said, "Fred. You have a nice aura you know. The ocean. You and Hermione go well together. She loved the flowers; now stop being silly and go and tell her."

Fred watched her go with a stunned look on his face. She was an amazing girl; and Harry was an idiot.

 **February 25th, 1997**

Luna was still hurting. That particular day, after Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class, Lune lingered behind at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. When the students had gone back to the castle and Hagrid had gone inside his hut, Luna ventured into the forest.

She knew exactly where she was heading. When she found them, the thestrals were standing peacefully in a herd, the adults protectively sheltering the young ones. Luna liked to watch them.

They were a family. She had almost had that again, then she had lost it through no fault of her own. The thestrals turned towards her, and she began to sing. She like to sing to them. It seemed to calm them down.

 _But if you come, and all the flowers are dying,_

 _If I am dead, as dead I well may be,_

 _You'll come and find the place where I am lying,_

 _And kneel and say an ave there for me._

Footsteps interrupted her singing. The thestrals grew restless. She started running back towards Hagrid's hut.

"Lovely singing, _little girl,_ " a voice beside her purred eerily and then disappeared. Then, he reappeared directly in front of her. "Going somewhere, were we?"

"Mr Malfoy," Luna said in a voice that betrayed how scared she felt, "how lovely to see you! I'm sure Draco will be so happy. Shall I go and tell him you are here?"

Lucius Malfoy turned his mouth up into menacing grin and snarled grotesquely. "That won't be necessary, Miss Lovegood. You see, I'll be needing you to keep me company for a while right here, whilst we wait for Mr Potter's imminent arrival."

Luna's heart sank. "Did...did you come alone, sir?"

Lucius laughed, loud and without humour. "Now that wouldn't have been very wise of me, would it child?"

As if scripted, more Death Eaters emerged from the shadows, silently skulking, lurking, waiting. Luna counted fifteen, but there could have been more. She saw some that she recognised from the Department of Mysteries; Dolohov, Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback.

"Harry won't come, you know. He won't come. He and I, we aren't together. He doesn't...he doesn't love me anymore…" her voice broke and the sentence trailed off. Had he ever loved her at all? She wasn't sure.

Lucius roared with laughter. "Stupid girl. Of course he does. Why do you think he left? He saw this very event in a vision from the Dark Lord. He thought he could prevent it. He left to keep you safe." Lucius spat the words out, as if it hurt him to produce such a pathetic sentiment. "But now I'm afraid, Miss Lovegood, that we are going to have to give Mr Potter an incentive to come down here."

Luna's blood ran cold. Harry had left her because he thought she would be safe. He thought he could protect her. What had he seen that could have been so bad? She didn't want to know, but she had a feeling she was about to find out.

"Dolohov! Take care of our guest would you?" The older Malfoy's face twisted into a sneer that would curdle the blood of even the most skilled wizard. Luna found herself growing faint as Antonin Dolohov approached.

"CRUCIO!" Luna writhed in pain as the unforgivable curse was hurled at her. The agony was unbearable. Her back arched as she was lifted off the ground and flung back into a tree. She forced herself to forget the pain, to push through, and let her mind wander. "CRUCIO!"

Where were the happy memories. She needed the happy memories. Harry's arms around her, the kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas, the laughter and love they shared in Hogsmeade, the good night kisses...and that first sunset.

"LUNA!" Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Fred, George and a host of armed students interrupted Dolohov's curses. Luna fell limp and unconscious to the ground. Harry was filled with a fury that he had only felt once before; when Bellatrix had killed Sirius. He saw Luna's limp body and that rage rose up inside him.

"Did you honestly think I would come alone, Malfoy?!" Lucius was looking in horror at the group. Among them; _his own son_ , Draco. Draco was standing still in shock, frozen to the spot, unable to believe what he was seeing.

After what seemed like an age of silence, the battle began. Curses and spells were being hurled everywhere; the Death Eaters attacking, the students disarming and shielding.

Harry immediately went for Bellatrix. "Stupefy!" He kept pushing at her with spell after spell; and then she vanished. Bellatrix Lestrange had run away.

Draco faced his father. "Expelliarmus!"

Lucius stared at his son in disbelief. "Coward."

"No Father. You are the coward." Tears ran down his face as he lifted his wand again; but before he could summon a spell, Lucius was gone.

One by one, the Death Eaters disappeared. They knew they were outnumbered. Greyback was the last to go, leaving in incensed rage with an ear splitting howl. And then there was _silence_.

Hermione had fallen victim to a stunning spell, and was also lying limp on the floor, cradled in Fred's arms. George helped Ron to his feet after he had been disarmed and pushed over by Dolohov. In a daze, the students helped each other to their feet, most of them bruised but unharmed; but Luna lay still, unmoving and silent in Harry's arms. His tears and screams filled the Forest, as the other students watched on, most with tears in their eyes. Please, he thought. Let her not be dead. Let her live.

Harry sat by Luna in the hospital wing every day for two weeks as she lay in a deep, unrelenting sleep. Hermione and Fred tried to get him to come down for meals, to no avail.

Ron came up and sat with him while he waited, but could tell that Harry really just wanted to be alone with Luna. Even Professor Dumbledore tried to get him to come down. He was excused from classes, and only returned to Gryffindor Tower to sleep.

 _Every waking moment was spent at the bedside of his little elf._

 _Sunsets_. That's what she remembered. Was this a dream? That beautiful sunset, peaceful and brilliant, filling the sky with reds and oranges and pinks and purples. Her happy place. Luna's eyes opened properly, and her hand moved to the raven black head that was in Harry's hands. She stroked the black mop lovingly.

Harry sat bolt upright. "Luna," he whispered, "I am so, so sorry." The tears came in floods then, and couldn't be stopped.

Luna shook her head. "You couldn't have changed this, Harry. But promise me one thing. Next time, tell me. From now on we take everything on together. Remember? _Love defeats all._ We are stronger _together_ …" her voice trailed off as she lost her breath and coughed a little.

Harry looked at her and smiled through the tears." _Together. My promise._ "

"Luna? I know I didn't say this before, but I thought you should know. _I love you._ "

Luna smiled. "I know. I _did_ say this before, but...I love you too." They clutched each other tightly. As their friends came into the room they took in the scene before them and quietly reversed out.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Luna?"

 _"You are my happy place. You are my sunset."_

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 _ **The writer would like to thank everyone for reading and reviewing, they hope you enjoyed it xx**_


	3. Just You

**Title:** Just You.

 **Rating:** T

 **Genre:** Drama/ Romance

 **Penname:** Anonymous at this time

 **Pairing:** Draco and Hermione

 **Summary:** He seeks her approval, for something he knows she won't. He walks away from it all, because he knows what's in his heart. But his mind is set, his future assured.

* * *

 **Xxxx**

"No, Draco." Her words were firm and absolute. He went to reply, but she interrupted him. "The final answer is no. I have given you many liberties considering everything we've been through. But this, this is not something I can give my blessing to."

"Mother, I'm not asking you blessing. I'm telling you that I love her and I plan to marry her." He said with a bravado he'd hadn't felt in years.

"Not if I have anything to say about. With your father gone and I as the proprietor of the estate, I will not allow you to take over what is rightfully yours, if you do this." She threatened.

He flinched, he had always been a person of means, but he long since realized that nothing was more important then the love his life and that outweighed the blessings that came with the name Malfoy. He chose not reply, but instead pulled a thick envelope out of his robe pocket and dropped it with ominous thump on the coffee table then he turned and walked out of his family home and away from his mother.

 **Xxxxx**

He walked to the apparition point beyond the estate and returned to the street adjacent the familiar flat, his mind was racing, how could he provide her with the life he wanted what he planned when his own mother wouldn't approve. What did the status of ones blood matter now, in this day and age? He shoved his hands into his robe pockets and kicked at some rubble on the sidewalk. He always felt over dressed when he came into this part of the city. But his years of upbringing wouldn't allow him to change. No matter how she insisted that he looked good in Muggle clothing.

He walked up the building and up the two flights of stairs until he walked toward her door. He didn't bother to knock or even to announce himself, her wards would alert her of his presence. When he entered, he saw all the silly spelled hearts floating around the living room, the dining room table set with candles and rose petals scattered across the tabletop. He could smell the familiar scent of roaster chicken wafting into the air and the sounds of dishes being cleaned, without magic, coming from the kitchen. He smirked as he walked in and saw the slightly lesswild hair of the only woman whose opinion mattered to himnow, dressed in a lovely red dress, far too tight for her currently. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her growing torso and placed a gentle kiss to the spot just below her ear, that always sent a delightful shiver down her spine. "Happy Valentines Day." He whispered into her ear, she lets out a small moan.

She dried her hands on the nearby dish towel and turned to face him, he took a step back to accommodate the swell of her belly. Instinctively, one of his hands lowered and caressed the bump. "How did it go?" She asked breaking his quiet reprieve. His response was to drop to his knee and reached for her hand.

"Hermione, you are the most infuriating, intelligent, forgiving,beautiful, unorthodox person I have ever met. But since the end of the war and the change in my ways, I have made it my mission to be the kind of man that deserves to have you love me. I will forever try to live up to the man you say I have become, if you will let me. But most of all I could never ever be able to repay you the love I feel for you for the fact that you are carrying my, no our child within you." He paused and composed himself as he could see her eyes welling up at what he was going to say. "Hermione will you do me the biggest honor and become my wife?" She nodded her head as she began to sob uncontrollably. He stood up and she kissed him over and over and over again. "Is that a yes?" He asked teasingly

"Yes, you prat!" She said with a hiccup. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the many pieces of his birthright. A stunning emerald cut diamond ring, an heirloom passed down for generations. Hermione now becoming the only non pure blood to wear it. Or at least will wear it once the swelling that came with her pregnancy came to end. She took a few moment to compose herself and once she stopped admiring her new ring, she looked to her new fiancé. "Did Narcissa approve?" She asked, expectantly.

"No." He said, trying not to let that darken the happy moment he just created with Hermione.

"Does she know about the baby?" Her eyes wide with worry.

"She will once she reads the letter I left when she said she wouldn't allow us to be married." He said with the same arrogant tone he used as a child.

"Draco, y-you shouldn't have done that." She stated.

"Why? You and this little miracle is all that matters to me now. I don't need her or the Malfoy estate. Just you." He pulled her close and kissed her hard. "Maybe one day she will see the error of her ways and we can discuss how to bring her into our lives. Not the other way around. I want to begin a new life and everything I need for that is right here. In this tiny flat, in my arms."

"You know, Malfoy you are far to smooth for your own good." She said with playful smirk.

"You shouldn't complain, it's how I captured you for my very own."

 **Xxxx**

Narcissa sat there looking between the envelope and the door her son walked out of for some time, before she reached forward and picked it up. She had never felt more terrified of anything, including the dark lord, then she did this envelope. She summoned her strength and opened it. She pulled out pictures. All of her son, looking happy, something she had missed in him in the years leading up to the war and some time after, and the mudblood witch. They chronicled trips and events they attended together. Some with silly poses, others were elegantly posed. Then, she found the letter.

 _Dearest Mother,_

 _If you are reading this then I have asked you to bless the union of me and Hermione, someone who has started to rebuild in me what was destroyed of my confidence after the war, and you in your ever predictable fashion have denied. I have enclosed many copies of photos of myself and Hermione. I feel they are the best representation of how happy and carefree I have become in her presence._

 _These were taken over the last two years of our courtship, and even though I still plan to propose, she and I have already talkedat great length about marriage and our future. And we will be planning a wedding in Australia, where her parents live, come next spring or maybe some time after. What I had hoped was that you would have been able to look beyond your old fashion, bigoted ways and accept Hermione, for me. But as it seems, you can not._

 _I do not require access to my birth right, we can make due on our own. I'm sorry to have it come to this, in light of current affairs. But maybe one day you will be able to look past preconceived notions and work to become apart of my life again. I will await the day and hope to build a relationship with you as an adult._

 _Signed,_

 _Draco_

 _P.S. Hermione is pregnant._

Narcissa's heart clenched in pain. The letter told her he didn't need her any longer and that she was replaced. The worst, or so she thought, was that he was walking away from her. But to find out that she was expecting her first grandchild, caused her to shatter. Her careful air of indifference crumbled and she sobbed, clenching the letter to her chest. The harsh reality was, she lost her whole reason for living, because she couldn't, wouldn't look past the ideals of the past. And now her soul cried out as she realized she severed the ties to the future of her family. She gasped for breath in between heaving sobs, she didn't know how she would be able to fix this. A tiny part of her, the most human part of her screamed out in its tiny voice that one day she will succumb to her son's pleas and try to accept his chosen witch so that she may be able to see their family thrive. But for now, she sat in her very important, very empty mansion; alone and heartbroken.

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 **The writer would like to thank you for taking the time to read and review! They hope you enjoy xx**


	4. His not so lucky charm

**Title** : His Not So Lucky Charm

 **Genre:** Romance/Drama/Angst

 **Facebook name:** Anonymous at this time

 **Pairing:** Oliver Wood and Hermione Granger

 **Summary:** He was all about quidditch so, why was he so distracted.

 **Alpha/Beta love:** Thank you to CW for betaing for me and making an aesthetic for me

* * *

Hermione sits in the stands on the quidditch pitch and watches the Gryffindor team practice. I don't see her, I'm busy showing the team some new strategies that I came up with over the summer.

"Potter I don't care what you do, as long as you get the bloody snitch, it's my last year and I'd like to win the cup," I tell Harry. The sun was setting so I called end of practice for the night, and watched Hermione walk down from the bleachers and wait for Harry to go over to her.

Shaking my head I walk towards the locker rooms. I couldn't and wouldn't let a girl come between Quidditch and winning the cup, no matter how cute she looks with her head in a book.

Quickly changing out of my Quidditch robes I hurry and walk out. "Hi Granger," I say walking past her.

The look I see on her face is confusion, and then I hear a soft, "Hi Wood." I smile softly before walking towards the castle.

Suddenly I notice two redheads running towards me. "Wood, do you fancy Granger?" I think Fred asks.

"What? No why would I? Everyone knows I only care about Quidditch," I say the last part jokingly.

They both give me a look. "Fred, the day Wood cares about something other than Quidditch is the day the world ends," George says.

"Does everyone think the only thing I care about is Quidditch?" I ask. They shrug and run back to the castle talking about some prank they were gonna pull.

 ****Time skip to a few weeks later****

It was the first match of the year. I walk down to the Great Hall for breakfast in my Quidditch robes. Sitting down by Katie I start putting food onto my plate.

Looking down the table, I take a bite of my bacon. I didn't see Hermione sitting next to Ron and Harry. That's strange, she's usually here before anyone else.

"Oi Harry, Ron where's Hermione?," I ask looking at the two. They shrug before going back to eating, well Ron never quit. The Great Hall door opens and Hermione comes in with her nose in a book, only looking up every few seconds to check where she was walking.

It's good to see she's still herself. Wait why did I care about her anyway? I hurry up and finish eating and walk out of the Great Hall. Heading towards the place I always go when I need to think, the Quidditch pitch.

Sitting down on one of the bleachers I cross my arms behind my head and look up at the sky. Could I fancy her? No like the twins said yesterday, the only thing I know how to care about is Quidditch. I sigh and close my eyes for a few minutes.

"Oi Wood," someone yells. Opening my eyes I look down and see someone waving and then pointing towards the locker room. Nodding my head I get up and walk down towards the locker rooms to get ready for the match.

Once everyone is dressed and waiting on me I say, "Alright guys let's get out there, and kick some butt. Potter get the bloody snitch, if we win, no practice tomorrow," before giving my normal speech.

We make our way to the field.

I'm in front of the middle goal and I look at the Gryffindor stand, not sure who or what I'm searching for. Finally my eyes land on a curly mess of hair and I smile softly.

"Wood bludger!" Someone yells. Snapping back to reality I realize a bludger was coming straight for me, I turn to the left some and get out of the way.

That bloody girl is gonna be the death of me and I'm not sure why I'm even noticing her. I sigh and pay attention to the game.

 ****Few weeks later****

We've won the last three games, I've been distracted at the beginning of the last three games by a certain bushy curly haired girl. Today we have a game, we're sitting in the Great Hall eating.

"What do you mean you're not coming, Hermione we're playing Slytherin you have to come," Ron shouts.

She gives the meanest glare to him before responding, "And I need to study, I'm behind actually. I've been distracted." She slams a book shut and storms out of the great hall. What has her distracted?

"What would have her distracted from her studies?" Ron asks.

The twins sit on either side of him. "Well our dearest Ronniekins, perhaps Granger has taken a fancy to a certain boy, and that's why she's been distracted. We've caught her staring at him," Fred says.

"That we have, I think they would be lovely together," George says. Ron turns three different shades of red before storming out of the Great Hall as well.

It was time for the game, we went through our normal ritual and got ready. Knowing for sure I shouldn't be distracted for this game, since Hermione isn't here.

Madam Hooch starts the game, Slytherin has possession of the quaffle. Marcus is coming towards me dodging my chasers, he aims for the lower goal post,

I quickly get to the post and hit the quaffle away. Katie gets it and heads to the other side, barely dodging Flint and Adrian. I look and see Harry and Malfoy arguing and looking for the snitch.

Focusing back on the quaffle, I see Miles miss blocking it, I yelp in joy. Blocking another shot from Marcus I send him a taunting smirk.

I look up at Harry and made sure he was okay, he almost took a bludger that seems to be chasing him. "Wood," He starts and out of nowhere I was hit by a bludger on my broom. Hitting the ground the next thing I see is black.

 ****A week later****

I woke up in the hospital wing needing some water, my throat feels like carpet. Someone is sitting in a chair next to me.

I squint and look at the person. "Granger?" I squeak.

"Oh you're awake, I need to find Madam Pomfrey," She says scurrying off. Watching her runoff I think, why is she here? Madam Pomfrey runs in and I see her send Hermione away.

"Ahh mister Wood you're awake," She tells me and starts giving me a Star Grass salve potion. "You had that young girl worried, I don't think any of us have seen her worried about someone other than the Weasleys and Harry Potter before," She tells me.

"How long has she been here?" I ask softly.

"Since the day you arrived, stops by everyday after classes, does her homework goes to dinner then comes back until curfew. I think she may fancy you mister Wood," She tells me giving me a soft smile.

I got out the hospital wing a few hours later, after she made sure everything was okay to be discharged. I head down the corridor to the Great Hall for dinner when I hear two people arguing.

"He'll never like you! All he cares about is Quidditch! So quit worrying about him Hermione," A male voice says.

I peek out and see Hermione and Ron arguing.

"Honesty Ronald just because he cares for Quidditch a lot doesn't mean he can't care for another person, and that's not why you think he wouldn't like me! He wouldn't like me cause I'm a know it all and all of my other flaws," Hermione fights back.

"Exactly, and he definitely wouldn't date a fifth year, when he leaves this year. Especially when they look like you," Ron replies. What the hell is that suppose to mean?

"Don't talk to me until you figure out what's crawled up your butt," She yells before running away.

I hurry up and get to the great hall, being careful not to seen by Ron.

Sitting down next to Fred I start putting food onto my plate.

Looking over I notice Hermione poking at her food. "Are you okay Granger?" I ask.

She nods her head not looking up. Harry is looking between the three of us and raises his eyebrows at me.

Shrugging I eat my dinner.

However this doesn't go unnoticed by the Twins and Lee.

Fred leans over to my ear. "Fancy Granger do ya?" He asks.

"And if I do?" I ask back. "Just don't hurt her or else," Fred and George say.

I nod and look up, realizing the whole table is looking at the three of us.

"Oi mind your own businesses," Lee shouts. I nod my head at Lee.

 **** After Classes****

Slytherin had the Quidditch pitch for practice tonight, so I was in the common room doing some homework.

Hermione walks in with her hands full with books. I get up and walk over to her.

"Here let me help you," I say handing out my hand to get a few books.

"I don't need any help but thanks," She says stubbornly.

"Uh alright then, would you like to do your homework down here with me?" I ask shyly scratching the back of my head.

"Uh sure, it'll beat the noisy girls in the dorm," She says softly before sitting across from me.

Smiling softly I pick up my quill and start working on my potions essay. I watch her eyebrow quirk when she gets confused, and the way her eye gets a happy glint when she knows the answer.

"What's your favorite class?" She asks me softly.

"Er Quidditch isn't a class so I can't say that, so I'm going to go with DADA, what about you?" I say.

"Arithmancy," She says with a small smile.

"I honestly wasn't expecting that, but I'm sure you excel at it," I grin.

"So why Quidditch?" She asks me going back to writing her answers down.

"I love the feeling, the rush, adrenaline, taunting the snakes," I tell her grinning.

"Hey Hermione," Harry says as he walks into the common room. Ron comes through the portrait next and I see him stop next to Harry, I watch Hermione stiffen some before she goes back to writing.

"Are you just trying to be around him all the time?" Ron asks.

"I asked her to do homework with me, she's near me because I asked her too," I say defending Hermione.

"How can you be so rude to your friend?" I yell.

Everyone that was coming down from the domorities to head to the great hall for dinner stopped and was watching Ron and myself.

"I am her friend, I just want her to understand you only care about Quidditch!" Ron yells back.

"I care about Hermione and she's not Quidditch, now is she? Nope. Seriously take your jealous arse someone else and quit bringing her down," I yell slamming my potion book shut and stalking out of the common room.

Honestly why do people think I only care about Quidditch, do they not think I like girls? Shaking my head I storm around the corridors trying to clear my head and calm down some.

Honestly I've liked Hermione since the end of last year, I just didn't realize it until Ron started acting that way.

How dare he treat his best friend like that?

I head down to the Great Hall for dinner not caring that the Gryffindors where looking at me strangely.

Sitting down next to Hermione, I see more people look at me strangely.

"Hey you okay?" I ask softly.

"Yeah, thanks," She says pushing her food around.

"I know you're lying, you're pushing your food, you need to eat," I tell her taking a bite out of my food.

She nods before taking a small bite. I shake my head softly and see the twins coming. They sit down next to Hermione and me.

"Sorry that Ron's being a prat again, why is he so worried about you, doesn't he have Lavender? Or at least we thought he did, we caught them snogging," George says shivering.

I see Hermione crack a small smile at that. "So what do ya say Hermy, can we prank him? Well we're going too anyway," Fred says.

"Sure, just quit calling me Hermy," She says waving her fork at the twins.

 ****Time Skip to February****

"Hermione wait up," I yell jogging down the corridor.

She stops and moves to the side to wait for me. "What's up?" She asks.

"So the game next I was wondering if you would possibly wear my last years jersey to the game?" I say really fast.

"Can you ask that again but a little bit slower?" She asks me.

'Will you wear my last year jersey to the next game?" I ask more slowly than the first time.

"Sure," She says smiling. I grin before kissing her cheek and walking away. Seeing her smile before touching her cheek.

I head to the common room to study some before dinner. Hopefully to study, as long as I don't day dream.

I work on a essay for transfiguration, before going to my dorm room to get my jersey that I was gonna give to Hermione. I was just going to give it to her at dinner so I don't forget.

"Ello, Wood, we're wondering when you might be asking out Hermione?" George asks.

"Uhh I'm not sure why?" I ask looking through my trunk.

"Well Valentine's day is coming up, are you gonna ask her to be yours?" Fred asks.

"I don't know, I don't even know if she likes me," I shrug.

"She is wearing your jersey on our next game correct?" George asks.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean she likes me," I say rolling my eyes.

"Honestly how thick minded could you get?" Fred shakes his head before walking out, with George following.

I walk down to the Great Hall for dinner. George and Fred run to me and grab my arms pulling me away.

"Oi what are you two doing?" I ask.

"Stopping you from making a fool of yourself, we're not sure what happened, but Hermione is seriously pissed at you," Fred hisses.

"I haven't done anything? I've been in the common room and my dorm?" I say confused.

"Give me the Jersey," George says. Handing it to him he shoves it into his robe pocket.

We all walk back into the Great Hall and I see Ron with a taunting smirk and Hermione with an upset and mad expression.

Sitting down in my normal spot, I try and be careful not to sit next to Hermione because if she's pissed at me she might hex me.

While taking a bite out of the chicken wing I have, Ron smirks at me again.

"Alright what did you do Weasley," I ask glaring at him.

"I just told Hermione what you told me yesterday Wood, on about how you actually feel about her," Ron says.

"The only thing I've said to you about her is that I like her and you had no reason to be treating her the way you have been," I growl out.

"Oh really so you didn't call me an annoying know it all?" Hermione snaps. By now all eyes were on us.

"Do you really think I'd ask you to wear my bloody jersey if I was gonna call you something like that behind your back?" I ask.

She just glares at me, and goes back to stabbing her food with her fork. "Seriously Ron?" I angrily ask.

"What it's the truth," He says.

"No it's not, I've been in the common room and my dorm all afternoon, haven't I Lee?" I ask.

"He's not lying I seen him," Lee responds. I stand up and leave the Great Hall I couldn't handle

Hermione being mad at me.

 ****Valentines Day****

Everything that I planned has been set up and I'm talking to the twins.

"Are you sure Ginny will get her there?" I ask nervously.

"Yep, Ginny said she'll take whatever measures necessary to get her there," Fred says smacking my back.

I head to the quidditch pitch and wait for Hermione. After waiting for ten minutes, I see a redhead and bushy hair head coming towards me. I take a deep breath breath as she stops in front of me.

"Oliver?" She asks softly looking up at me.

"Hey wow you look great," I grin and take a deep breath.

"I've uh never had to do this before because it's always been about quidditch, I've never had a girl catch my attention before. But you're different, you're smart, stubborn, beautiful, I love how you're eyebrow quirks when your confused or find something interesting. I'm not sure how to be a boyfriend, but I'd be willing too, if you would be my girlfriend," I say looking at her.

She doesn't say anything for a moment and just looks at me.

"I guess we can learn how to be in a relationship together, I really like you," She smiles softly. I grin and hug her, smelling her green apples shampoo.

Pulling back some I grab my jersey out of my robe pocket. "Here this is now yours," I tell her handing her the fabric.

She grins before pulling me into another hug.

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 **The writer would like to thank you for** **reading and** **reviewing and they hope you enjoyed it xxx**


	5. Heading for Heartbreak

**_Story Title:_** _Heading for Heartbreak_

 **Rating:** T

 **Genre:** Angst

 **Penname:** Anonymous at this time

 **Fb name:** Anonymous at this time

 **Pairing:** Romione

 **Summary:** Hermione attends a Valentine's dinner expecting a proposal. But she gets exactly the opposite.

* * *

 _Hermione,_

 _You, Me, 7pm tonight._

 _The Broken Wand_

 _\- Ron_

Hermione sat at her desk and stared at the simply scrawled note written by her boyfriend of four years, Ron Weasley. It made her stomach fill with flutters that he had had the foresight to make plans for Valentine's Day.

She normally didn't buy into to these ridiculous holidays with unrealistic expectations, but she realised it was nice to be thought of.

She put the note in one of the drawers of her desk and smiled as she looked up at the clock. It was nearly half past one. She knew she had the perfect dress at home. It was red and sparkly. It would suit this occasion well.

A knock on her office door roused her from her thoughts.

"Come in," she called. Astoria Greengrass entered her boss's office sheepishly. Hermione looked up.

"What is it Astoria?" she asked.

"Nothing Miss, I was about to take my lunch and wanted to speak with you for a moment," she answered.

"What do you need?" she asked again, putting down her quill.

"Well, I have a date this evening, since it's Valentine's, and I was hoping you would let me take off early so that I can get to the hairdresser and nail witch," she persuaded.

Hermione thought to herself for a moment, and nodded.

"That's fine Stori, I have a date myself. Go ahead, and have a great night," she waved her off.

Astoria looked at her boss a moment and then plopped into the chair opposite her.

"So, Ron finally decided to give romance a shot aye? About time. You two have only been together, what? Five years?" Astoria asked, flipping her hair.

Hermione let her serious face crack and a smile danced onto her lips.

"Four," she replied.

"Think he'll pop the question?" Astoria looked at her boss, who fidgeted at the idea.

"What? No I don't think… although a proposal would be the opportune time to lay the romance on thick. Do you think he will?" The older witch asked.

Astoria smiled.

"Men like Ron only pull out the over the top romance when they have to. It's not your anniversary, it's not your birthday… it's Valentine's day and you've been together for nearly half a decade. I think he very well might," Astoria winked at her boss as she stood.

The younger, smaller witch walked towards the door of her boss's office and waved. Hermione waved back.

 _Ron? Proposing?_ The idea struck her as odd, after all they had been together for four years and he hadn't brought up marriage, save for when Harry married his little sister. Even then, all he had done was rant about how marriage was a trap. He had never expressed a desire to be tied to one person for the rest of their days. Maybe he didn't know how he felt, and was going to gauge his desire on her answer?

Hermione didn't know but she didn't see a point in wondering. She stood and walked to her office door. Before long, she was leaving the Ministry, headed home to get ready for her date.

She fashioned her hair into a simple curly updo and dressed in a pink satin dress. She wore strappy silver pumps to go with it and smiled at her reflection in the mirror.

She certainly looked like a girl ready to be engaged. The more she entertained the idea, the more right it seemed. They had been together for a decent amount of time.

She shook her thoughts away and nearly skipped out the door. She couldn't wait for what this night held.

She walked out of her flat building and nearly slipped along the pavement as she went. She passed all the normal Diagon Alley shops as she went to a new, renovated area of the alley. It had been opened and was filled with more moden shops and restaurants.

Harry had worked with several older members of the Order to revitalize it and cater it to a newer crowd. Ron and Hermione had been relatively regular customers to the Broken Wand, a popular restaurant towards the end. The memories of it made her smile. Night fell and Hermione all but danced her way to the front of it.

She arrived to the quaint little hole in the wall and a tuxedoed host nodded his acknowledgement.

"May I help you Miss?" He asked, grabbing a menu from a stack of them.

"Uhm, yes thank you. I'm here to meet Ron Weasley," she answered.

The host nodded and motioned for her to follow him. He kept stealing glances back at her.

She smiled as he led her to the red clothed table where Ron sat, waiting patiently. When they arrived, Ron stood. He walked to where Hermione was and hugged her tight, stealing a quick kiss. She returned it eagerly.

The next moment he was pulling out her chair and pushing her into the table as she sat down.

"I'm so glad you met with me tonight," he began, folding his hands together in the middle of the table.

Hermione smiled.

"Well why wouldn't I? It is Valentine's Day after all," she replied.

"Valentine's day? Oh right it is Valentine's day. Listen Hermione, we've been together…. A long time. And I think…." he seemed to be looking around the room for courage.

"You think what Ron?" She asked, excitement building inside her.

"I think we should break up," he was obviously distracted.

"What? I thought you were going to propose!" She howled, catching the attention of most of the restaurant.

"Propose? Why in the name of Merlin would i propose?" He asked, standing.

"Astoria mentioned something, I thought maybe she was right," she theorized. Ron scoffed.

"Nonsense. I don't want to get married. Hermione, we're...we're over," he was suddenly sheepish.

"Fine. Fred is better in bed than you anyway," She howled, standing and tossing her napkin at him.

She stormed over to him and slapped him across the cheek, hard. He sat there dumfounded as she stormed out of the restaurant in tears.

He wasn't left that way before long. Ten minutes later, his true valentine arrived. She wore a shimmery violet dress and black heels. She strode to him happily and kissed his cheek.

"So," she began, "How did she take the news?" She wore a cat like grin.

"Astoria, you told her I might propose?" Ron was surprised.

"I figured it might make the news sting just a little bit more," she whispered as she kissed his cheek.

This pulled him from his thoughts and he smiled, bringing the small woman into his arms. He kissed her sweetlt and smiled.

"Happy Valentine's day." He muttered against her cheek.

"Same to you sweetheart."

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 **The writer would like to thank you for taking the time to read and review! They hope you enjoy xxx**


	6. Come back, be here

**Title:** Come Back, Be Here

 **Rating:** G

 **Characters:** Argus Filch, Mrs Norris, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape

 **Facebook name/penname:** Anonymous at this time

 **Summary:** Argus Filch hates Valentine's Day. Little does he know that this particular Valentine's Day is going to change his life forever...

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Beta/Alpha love:** Much much love to the amazing KR who untangled this mess into a coherent story via her fantastic beta skills.

* * *

The Great Hall looked like Cupid had vomited all over the tables and walls, pink glittery hearts strung from the ceiling, paper heart streamers above the fireplaces and sickeningly sweet pink candles floating over the food. Argus grimaced as he surveyed the hall, decorated to perfection before the students arrived, and muttered under his breath _"Filthy children_ , why do they need to celebrate love and romance?" His musings were interrupted by a familiar rubbing against his legs - his _beloved_ Mrs Norris.

With a swift scoop, he tucked her in the crook of his arm and stroked her fur absentmindedly as he ambled his way to the staff room.

"Dumbledore is crazy, indulging these _miscreants_ ," he lowered his voice so only his sweet could hear. "Knows I hate that damn room, stinks of magic. He could have sent me the important bits by owl," his grumbling continued as he reached the door of the staff room.

With a sigh, he gave Mrs Norris one last chin scratch, feeling her purr under his fingers, before setting her down on the stone floor. "Keep an eye out for any trouble my sweet," He said lowly, straightening up to knock on the staff room door.

His knocking was _abruptly cut short_ by the door swinging open to reveal a beaming Sybill Trelawney. "Come in, come in my dear! I have seen your future and today will the most joyous day for you!" Argus rolled his eyes as he walked past her and shuffled to the darkest corner of the room, away from prying eyes.

To his dismay, the entire room was decorated in the same vein as the Great Hall - pink, glittery and full of hearts. He glanced over at Severus to see a dark scowl, and took a little joy to find he was not alone in hating the holiday.

"Thank you all for coming! Today is a day of love, however I'm afraid it will also be a day of mischief," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with delight as he said this. "There will be a great many love potions administered today, as a result, all staff will be armed with counter potions to neutralize the effects. Professor Snape has been so kind to provide these for us,"

Snape slouched down in his chair as he heard his name mentioned. Argus noticed the stockpile of vials behind Dumbledore and his heart began thumping louder in his chest. Magic, he _hated_ magic. But this didn't require wands so he had no excuse.

Dumbledore began dishing out the potions, with a warning that any students who drank it would need a brief check up by the infirmary afterwards, whilst Filch hung back against the far wall. He didn't want anything to do with magic.

"I suppose it's just like drinking cough syrup," he muttered to himself, wringing his hands to try and squeeze out his fear and discomfort.

Dumbledore approached him with a kind smile and a soft pat on the shoulder, handing over a satchel of small vials. "It's as easy as offering them a drink, dear Argus," he said, checking his watch. "I must go, they'll be downstairs soon," Another pat on the shoulder and he was gone.

Argus practically ran out of the love drenched room, stepping into the small corridor with an audible sigh of relief. He whistled for his beloved, deciding to lurk in his office until breakfast was over.

At least there was no pink down there. As he reached the bottom of the staircase, the first students began excitedly pouring out of their common rooms, _shrieking and giggling_ echoing down all seven flights of stairs. Argus scowled, stalked into his office and slammed the door shut.

He spent the next few hours updating the banned items list from a WWW catalogue, re-organising his filing system and keeping an ear out for the catflap on his door.

After two hours, he checked his watch and opened his door to begin his rounds. First up was the Great Hall. "Gotta check they've all buggered off," he muttered. The Great Hall was destroyed, food thrown everywhere, hearts ripped off the walls, candles floating in circles instead of staying put. Argus took one look and shut the door. Not his problem, _not today_.

The satchel thumped against his side gently as he made his way to the first floor. Nothing unusual here, it was a Saturday so no classes but for the most part the floor was empty.

There was a small gobstones club (most likely unregulated judging by the furtive glances he got) in the corner of a transfiguration classroom but Argus simply looked the other way. Not his problem, _not today._

He whistled again for Mrs Norris, growing slightly concerned she hadn't found him yet. He hoped she hadn't wandered into the forest again, Hagrid had extorted a favour from him last time she needed rescuing.

As Argus made his way up to the second floor, he scowled at the paper hearts strung along the wall. "Brats must've stolen them from the Great Hall," He strode over to them, ripping the flimsy paper off the stone walls. He crumpled the pink and red paper with all the venom and hatred he could muster, Valentine's was not for the single, unwanted and lonely.

As he turned the corner to toss out the ruined decorations, he saw a dark lump on the floor up ahead. Walking towards it, he could see it had fur and a tail - the ruined decorations dropped from his hands in shock and disbelief.

Argus fixed his eyes on the shape and shakily tried to purse his lips to whistle. A faint high pitched note made it through, and he saw the lumpy shape twitch in response. Argus stood there frozen, eyes fixed on the body of his sweet. "No," he whispered, the lump in his throat preventing any noise from escaping.

"No, no, no, no…." He had a sudden urge to stroke her, hold her, cradle her again. His feet flew over the flagstones, carrying him to the body of Mrs Norris. Argus felt his knees crack as he dropped onto the floor but he didn't care.

She was breathing, blinking slowly at him and twitching her tail feebly. Argus heard footsteps and raucous laughter from behind, heard the clink of a bottle, and the laughter stopping dead as they approached him.

"Uhm, Mr Filch, sir? This was just behind you," A young girl, deathly pale with shock, held out an empty potion bottle to Argus. He snatched it up and saw the label was for a love potion.

Throwing the bottle on the ground, he fumbled with the straps of the satchel, growling at them when they would not cooperate with his agitated fingers. A whispered spell, and they snapped open, contents laid bare for all to see.

Argus glanced up and saw the grim face of Professor Snape, who gestured to the vials. "I do not know if it will work. But it's worth a shot, no?"

Argus, wide eyed and struck dumb, nodded, grasping a vial by the stopper. In his haste, the cork popped off, spilling a few drops on his fingers. He tipped the vial down Mrs Norris' throat, massaging it gently to get her to swallow, and waited.

His fingers smoothed the fur on her side, other hand stroking her under her chin, in her favourite place. He could feel her body shaking under his hand, her eyes were closing for longer and longer and her tail had stopped moving.

"I'm not letting you go, not again," Argus was possessed, fumbling to find another vial. He tipped vial after vial down her throat, massaging her to get her to swallow, and quietly praying to a God he knew he didn't believe in.

His eyes watched her like a hawk, keeping an eye on the rise and fall of her chest. Rise. Fall. Rise. Fall. Then nothing. Argus put his hand close to her mouth and felt nothing. He held his head against her chest, listening for a heartbeat he needed to hear. "Come back my sweet, please, come back,".

As he listened to the silence, he noticed her fur was wet. Tears dripped off the end of his nose as he refused to move his head. Severus reached for him, but Argus shook him off. "It'll beat. _It's got to._ I gotta hear it…"

The only noise was the sound of the students being shepherded away, and the swish of a pale lilac robe coming into his field of view. Sobs were flowing freely from Argus but still he refused to move his head, convinced he would hear her come back to him.

"Argus, my boy," Dumbledore started, before crouching down to his level. "Argus, she is gone I'm afraid," There was that damn hand on his shoulder again, which Argus shook off with a roar.

 _"NO! She can't be!" His voice broke as he whispered, "I need her, she's all I've got,"_

Dumbledore squeezed his arm gently and offered him a handkerchief. It was then Argus realised he had lifted his head off of his sweet's body. As he looked down at her, he saw her eyes were closed, tail most decidedly still.

His heart sped up, tear stains on his trousers, hands shaking as he hesitantly reached out to touch her. He withdrew his hand and howled. It ripped through his very soul, forcing itself out in an ungodly scream of pain and despair. He fell forward, cradling her body as his tears continued to fall. _It was never meant to end like this._

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 _ **The Writer would like to thank you for reading and reviewing! They hope you enjoy xxx**_


	7. Pansies for Pansy

**Story Title:** Pansies for Pansy

 **Rating** : T

 **Genre** : Tween Drama

 **Fanfic Penname:** Anonymous at this time

 **Facebook name:** Anonymous at this time

 **Pairing** : Salazar Kenric (Original Character) & Pansy Parkinson

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Thank you to TW for her amazing beta work**

* * *

Summary: A young wizard experiences Hogwarts their first year. Puppy love and flowers for a special girl.

Hello. My name is Salazar Kenric. Yes, it's Salazar, people are often confused about my name. My mom's name was Sally and my dad's, was Bezar. It's only a coincidence that it is also the founder of Slytherin's name. I just completed my first year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft & Wizardry. Yes, I'm only twelve years old, but I'm going to be your narrator for duration of this story. I just have to tell someone, because I know my parents would never believe me. They are always too busy doing alchemy with the Ministry of Magic to listen to my stories anyways. I never much liked Alchemy. I was always more of a Charms or a Defense Against the Dark Arts fan myself. Anyways, here is my story. I hope you like it.

I will start you at the beginning. I was at the train station standing on Platform 9 ¾ waiting to board the Hogwarts Express on my way to my first year at school. Excitement was screaming through my body like I had just won a football game back at my old muggle school. You couldn't have wiped the smile off of my face. All the kids around me were as giddy and as happy as I was. An older Hufflepuff boy approached me and even introduced himself. His name was Cedric. He was super nice. I hoped everyone at Hogwarts was as kind as he was. Not long after meeting Cedric the conductor announced that we could board the train. I grabbed my ginger cat and luggage and wandered the corridor until I found an open train carriage to sit in. I saw a nice seat by the window, so I sat down and took a deep breath as I was still on edge with excitement. The train closed up, I heard the brakes release, and looked out the window so I could watch as the train started to depart. It would be in that moment I would meet another wizard to call friend in my time at Hogwarts, Terence Higgs. Terence quickly sat down as the train took off and then apologized to me for bumping into my stuff as he plopped down on the seat. I was totally alrightwith it. He was an older kid and I certainly wouldn't want to upset someone so much bigger than me. After all, I didn't know a whole lot of magic yet.

Terence introduced himself. He asked me if it was my first year since he hadn't seen me before. He was so cool to talk to. Turns out he plays quidditch for Slytherin,which is easily one of the coolest things ever! I hope I get to play quidditch for the school someday. We talked for about half the ride but eventually I think I wore him down with all the questions. He started reading a book so I went back to staring out the window. I wish I could read some books on the train, but I get horrible motion sickness.

I heard some laughter coming from the opposite side of the train's corridor. It appeared to be a group of Slytherin students. I leaned over the neighboring seat a little into the aisle way to get a better look. Sitting in a far corner set of seats was a blonde boy with slicked back hair. If I had to, I would guess he's a Malfoy. I have certainly heard of that family. Across from him were two larger boys that I did not recognize, but beside him, beside him was this very pretty black haired girl. That would be the first time I saw her. She had vibrant emerald-green eyes and I couldn't help but think about how she smiled. She laughed at the Malfoy boy's jokes and when she did her eyes would squint in such an adorable way. I felt myself staring at her and I started to think that maybe I should look away, but then she looked at me. I sat up in my seat really quick and looked back out the window as if nothing had happened. Terence saw me. He looked back at what I had been looking toward and then turned to me to speak. Terence told me that the group I was looking out were a rough bunch. That I might want to stay away from them, especially if they didn't like me. He confirmed the blond boy was a Malfoy as he said the Malfoy boy was well known for saying cruel things to people he didn't think much of. As for the pretty black haired girl Terence gave me her name. Pansy.

Terence continued to tell me about how she could be cruel too, but I had stopped listening pretty quickly after he told me her name. Pansy was as pretty as her name was. I've thought other girls were pretty in my life but I felt drawn to this one. So much so I started leaning out in the aisle again to get another look at her while Terence was talking. To my surprise, she was already looking at me. For a brief moment it kind of felt like time stood still, and then she smiled. My heart stopped. Is this pretty girl smiling at me? I'm on my way to becoming a wizard, meeting very kind new friends, and now a pretty girl is smiling at me?! I was beside myself. I didn't know what to do. But then, Malfoy leaned over and looked at me. He asked, "What are you looking at, kid?" I sat back up in my seat hoping he wouldn't come over or continue talking to me after what Terence said. There was the sound of movement from where they were sitting and Terence looked back at them. Terence stood up and muttered under his breath, "Sorry dude, I'm not sticking around for this." He then walked away as Draco came up and leaned on the head of the seat in front of me.

"I'm Draco Malfoy," Draco proudly proclaimed. "You must be a first year. What's your name?" I introduced myself and he immediately knew of my parents. Draco said, "Your parents are excellent Alchemists Salazar. I'm quite the potion enthusiast myself. So, you're hoping to be a Slytherin then, right? After all, you come from a long line of proud, pureblood Slytherin."

This was all very true. I did want to be Slytherin. I'm very proud of my family and the accomplishments they have made. The problem was that I didn't want to be like Malfoy or his family. As a kid with a proud Slytherin background I was painfully tired of the amount of fellow Slytherin through the years that had turned to the dark arts and made the rest of us look bad. Sure, there were dark wizards from other houses but when it came up in discussion with other wizards and witches growing up that I wanted to be in Slytherin, you should have seen some of the looks I get. Sorry. Rant over.

After my giving a few short answers to his questions, Draco returned to his seat. It didn't go badly at all in my first meeting of him, despite Terence's warnings. He still seemed rather jerkish in how he talked, but he wasn't mean to me at least. As he sat down I looked over again and there was Pansy, still smiling at me. I smiled back but the train would come to a stop and the ride would come to an end, breaking our gaze apart. After exiting the train and meeting Hagrid for the first time, we were on our way to the school. Hagrid was huge let me tell you. A massive man not like anything I had seen before. We made it to the school and it was time for the sorting hat ceremony. I waited through the song that it sang and upon my turn I was quickly sorted into Slytherin. All seemed to go wonderfully on my first day and I even got to see Pansy sitting at my table in the Great Hall before I would go to bed for the night. We did exchange a few more smiles and glances, but I never did work up the nerve to talk to her that night.

Through the fall and even through Christmas I had watched Pansy from afar. Sometimes I would see Pansy being cruel to some students like Terence had told me. I never really understood why she was like that because when she saw me passing by she never really talked to me, but she would get this gentle smile upon her face. Sometimes I would think about trying to mention something about Divination together since we shared the class. I considered getting her a Christmas present and telling her I like her then but no ideas for gifts had come to mind.

As for friends I mostly kept to myself. Trust me, I was always friendly with everyone regardless of what house they belonged to. I could see the wonderful differences between each one. Draco would stop me every so often and we'd talk Alchemy. Even though I wasn't much of a fan of the subject I unwillingly knew a lot about it thanks to my folks. I ended up making a few other friends that I would see in the Great Hall or Library but back in the dorms I mostly just stayed to myself unless Terence came around we would hang out in the common room. He turned out to be a great friend.

So, Christmas had passed and we were now in January and I had devised a plan. I had fallen in love with a third class and that was Herbology. Professor Sprout was one of my favorites. I had been working on a special plant just for Pansy. I had cross planted normal pansies with alihotsy and casted a spell to turn them green. Alihotsy is an ingredient in laughing potion so the mixture of the two made it a bouquet of beautiful green pansies that when sniffed would make you smile. I was definitely proud of myself for that. My plan was to present the bouquet to Pansy on Valentine's Day to win her heart. Or at least let her know I like her. I'm not honestly sure how all this love stuff works exactly. But, I had a plan.

Along came Valentine's Day & Hogwarts was having a huge celebration. There was love type magic in the air everywhere & even the bloody baron was singing so loudly you could hear it through our dorms. It worked out perfectly as I was headed for afternoon meal right after Herbology class. So, with a huge smile on my face and my custom bred pansies bouquet I marched toward the Great Hall. I walked into the hall and looked over toward our typical Slytherin table and there she sat all by herself. How perfect I would find her like this. There were pink and green magic sparkles floating over her head as she was reading a book and munching on a chocolate frog. There was a light coming in from above that reflected the pink and green sparkles on her hair. My grip tightened on the bouquet, I put my chin up, and I walked over toward her. I was deeply hoping that she would feel the same way I do. So, I approached from across the table, I gently put the bouquet on the table, and I say "Pansy.". She looked up at me. I continued with "I've always thought you were really pretty and I like you. I made you these special pansies that I promise will make you smile.". She looked very surprised. Pansy set down the chocolate frog and leaned over her book to smell the flowers. As she breathed in I could see the corners of her mouth rise. It was the prettiest smile I had ever seen. I didn't need to smell the flowers to get that kind of smile because one was already very present on my face. Pansy started to open her mouth to speak when Draco approached and noticed what was happening.

"Aww isn't this cute, looks like Salazar and Pansy like each other. I never pictured you for a lovey dovey girly type Pansy." He said as he sat down.

The smile had left Pansy's face. Her eyebrows dropped to frustration and then it happened. "I don't what this kid was doing!" she yelled. "These stupid flowers. I don't what he was thinking but this has to be the dumbest thing someone has ever gave me!" It was said so loudly that people sitting at other tables started to look and listen. "I guess the losers even think they can be lucky on Valentine's Day." And then she laughed at me in front of everyone before walking away and out of the Great Hall.

My heart sank as she walked away. Slowly I sat down at the table next to my flowers.

"People." Draco said. "Don't let it get you down, they're all crazy, especially that one!"

As much as I appreciated the "words of encouragement" I was totally heartbroken. I really did think she might have liked me. I know I had seen her be cruel to other students, but I guess I was silly to think I would be different. This tremendous buffet of delicious food in front of me and I felt like I had a rock in my stomach. Some fellow Slytherins joined Draco and I at the table but I didn't feel much for socializing either. I sat there for some time and tried to regain my thoughts and hopefully allow myself the time to heal without crying in front of other people. I really did want to cry though. It hurt really bad.

Near the end of the time for afternoon meal I decided to start making my way toward my next class. On the stairs I had a view outside the Hogwarts castle of the Green Houses and it reminded me that I had really grown to love Herbology. I sat there for a minute, since I had the time to spare, and just thought of all those wonderful plants and the things I would accomplish with them. I decided to leave the special pansies bouquet I made sitting right there on the window sill so that when other people enjoy this view they could have a smile with it too.

As I turn to make my way to my next class standing on the stairs beside me was Pansy. I realize it's only her and I standing there. She walks up to me quickly and I start to lean back in fear of what is to come from her. As she gets face to face with me she says, "Thank you." She then grabs both sides of my face and pulls me in for a kiss. For five whole seconds of my life I thought my heart was going to explode. She tasted of pumpkin juice by the way. The best pumpkin juice ever! , I thought to myself. Behind my eyelids and in my brain, I was totally confused but I didn't care. She obviously really did like my flowers and maybe even me. I felt her lips leave mine and I opened my eyes. She stood there smiling at me.

"We can't have this all the time because I have my reputation to keep you see." Pansy explained. Then she said, "I can't let other people see that I like someone, and I especially can't let them see me kiss another girl… yet."

As she walked away I felt my heart mending. My first crush liked me back and I even got a kiss on Valentine's Day. When the school year ended I had gotten a few more kisses from Pansy in secret in spots all over Hogwarts. I wasn't afraid to talk to her anymore, but I liked being her little secret, so I would never mention anything of the kind in front of other people.

Now, we have been writing to each other for the entire summer. I miss her as if she was my girlfriend and I miss her smile like I can't even tell you. I can't wait to see what next school year will bring.

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 **The writer would like to thank you for reading and reviewing this story! Hope you enjoy xx**


	8. Eighteen Days

**Story title: Eighteen Days  
Rating: T  
Genre: Angst (no archive warnings apply)  
Your Fanfic Penname AND Facebook name: Anonymous at this time  
Pairing: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley; Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley; Harry Potter/Hermione Granger  
Summary: The events of Valentine's Day—both past and present—convince Hermione that it's finally time to have a sit down with Harry.**

 **A/N: Please note: a blatant disregard for canon timelines; possible references to scenes within movies that are not in the books. All things Harry Potter belong to J. K. Rowling.**

* * *

Hermione opened her eyes, allowing the momentary disorientation of the Apparition pass before stepping towards the end of the narrow alley. As she blended into the foot traffic on the street, she garnered an odd look from a passerby, seemingly curious as to why she was emerging from the darkness.

She ignored it.

Couples out for Valentine's Day dinner brushed by her on the sidewalk, hand in hand or arm in arm, chatting, laughing, smiling. She sighed raggedly. Gods, how long was this day going to pummel her emotions into ash? Would this date forever remind her of both the events of earlier this evening, as well as a chilly Valentine's Day in a tent a scant year ago?

Likely.

Tendrils of guilt curled around her heart.

She ignored those, too.

An hour earlier, she'd destroyed a man whose only fault was that he wasn't someone else. And she, Hermione Jean Granger,was not in the business of destroying men, thank-you-very-much. She left that to those better suited to it than she was:Pansy Parkinson, for one.

Ginny Weasley, for another.

Idly, she wondered if she would find Ginny at Harry's flat. Not for the first time, she hoped Harry would be alone. She needed to talk to her best friend. She needed him…without any distractions.

She wasn't sure how she'd allowed nine months to slip by, unnoticed, without talking about _this_ to Harry. And she'd allowed her simple presence in Ron's life to suggest things that were never, ever going to be true.

She didn't know which of those was worse.

She'd been a fool. A bloody fool.

Gods, now she even _sounded_ like Ron.

She huffed a bitter laugh and kept walking.

" _Hermione, will you—_ "

She shook her head to interrupt the echo of Ron's voice. It wasn't as if she intended to hurt him—it was just that lately, her timing seemed as bad as Ron's had ever been.

What an abysmal mess.

 _Oh, Ron…_

In less than five minutes, she arrived at Harry's building and made her way up three flights of stairs. She gathered herself in front of the door to his flat, straightening her scarf and coatbefore knocking. She had a key, of course, but since Ginny had started spending more nights here—against the Molly's very public protests—Hermione refused to use it. She had no desire to happen upon _them_ , thank-you-very-much. And while Ginny still technically lived at the Burrow, today _was_ Valentine's Day after all.

Witnessing something like that was the last thing she needed this evening.

At the sound of her knock, Harry appeared at the door, his hair a bit more disheveled than usual, and his wire glasses too far down his nose. He smiled crookedly at her. "Hey."

"Hey," she managed. "You busy?"

"Nope." He opened the door widely and waived Hermione inside.

"Is Ginny here?"

"She's at The Burrow."

Suddenly, tears threatened; she swallowed roughly.

So much for straightening her scarf.

"Hermione," he muttered, "What's wrong? What's happened?"

Just what _had_ happened? What had she done? Or in this case, what _hadn't_ she done?

"Here. Come in and sit down. I'll make some tea." Harry led her to a chair by the fireplace; she managed—just barely—to keep the tears from escaping down her cheek before he disappeared into the other room. He remained in the kitchen while the tea brewed, because, Hermione knew, he was giving her the time she needed to compose herself.

Harry had always known exactly what she needed, hadn't he?

 **oOo**

 _The particularly chilly evening had given way to an even colder February night, the damp breeze permeating skin and bone in the way only icy wind could. Tendrils of hopelessness wrappedaround her soul in perfect time with the bitter wind assaulting their campsite. The forest seemed to sense—with shocking accuracy—when Hermione's thoughts were the bleakest._

 _Harry ambled out the tent to come and sit next to her on the boulder she had re-warmed only moments ago._

 _"You okay?" he asked, keeping his eyes trained on the trees._

 _As his breath gathered in a silvery cloud in front of him,Hermione could almost imagine the vapor solidifying into a billow of ice, and falling to shatter at their feet._

 _Exactly like their lives…fragile. Cold. Temporary._

 _Or maybe that was just the locket talking._

 _"Yeah. Sometimes I just need a minute to feel sorry for myself," she said with a bitter laugh. "Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, you know."_

 _"I get that." He put his arm around her, pulled her close for a moment, and then stood. "I'll be inside."_

 _She fumbled her way into the tent a few short minutes later, rubbing her hands together and shuffling her feet in an effort to regain some semblance of feeling in her fingers and toes._

 _"I'll take it," Harry said, approaching her and lifting the heavy pendant from her neck. She caught his eye, but he was grim and determined, and she knew if she protested that he would take it from her anyway._

 _Hermione curled up in her cot and opened Tales of Beetle the Bard, as she always did, every night. Harry settled in next to her, shrugging a blanket off his shoulders to place it around smiled softly at him, grateful for his attention._

 _How did he know exactly what she needed, precisely when she needed it?_

 _Was it that he remembered—long after he had taken the locket off—the bleak things it whispered when he wore it? Did he know it whispered those things to her, too? Was that how he knew exactly when to draw close and when to give her space?_

 _Or had he always known everything about her?_

 **oOo**

As Harry returned from the kitchen with two steaming cups of tea, Hermione caught him glancing at her left hand.

"You knew," she stated flatly.

Harry sighed. "I did. I was with him when he bought it." He sat down, handed her a cup, and met her eye. "I thought about warning you, but…"

Bitterness rose in her throat. "But…?" She tried to quell the shrill tone in her question, and failed. Was that a hint of hysteria, too? Or accusation?

He ignored all of it. "But Ron swore me to secrecy."

It was her turn to sigh. She glanced down at the warm mug of tea in her hands, then met his eye. "Harry…"

"I'm sorry, Hermione."

"Don't apologize."

Harry looked away, apparently to study something invisible on the rug between them. "I should have guessed that you would say no."

"And I should have told you things were not going well."

"It's none of my business, really."

She stared ahead of her at the small sitting room of Harry's flat, and said nothing for a long while. She imagined what the space would look like—if the _right_ token, new and sparkling, encircled her finger. Would there be a vase of lilies on the side table, a quiet tribute to the mother he never knew? A picture on the wall? Thick curtains buffering the bare windows instead of blinds, or a pillow placed _just_ _so_ on the sofa?

But the room before her had been left wanting; Ginny cared nothing for such trivialities.

"There was a time when it was your business," she started. "Or a time when it could have been…"

Hermione glanced at him to gage his reaction to her words; his shoulders seemed to sag, his face flushed, and he hung his head. She could see his mess of dark brown hair, unruly as her own. She wanted to reach out and thread her fingers through it; no matter what had happened earlier tonight, or what would happen right now, he was _her_ Harry.

What was this bond between them? This barely spoken, mutual agreement? This near silent… _understanding_ , this something that had always been far more than a promise, but less than a vow?

Did it even exist any longer?

"I know it's the wrong moment, but…" She swallowed. "We need to talk."

He spared a look at her then, and she saw that his eyes held more anguish than she had seen in a year.

Perhaps she had misunderstood; perhaps words whispered during war aren't meant to survive the last battle.

He nodded at the tea in her hand.

"Maybe something stronger is in order," Harry said, and disappeared, once more, into the kitchen.

 **oOo**

 _"I could use a Firewhisky," Hermione joked, turning to catch Harry's eye. "Or at least a Butterbeer."_

 _Although she hadn't cast a Tempus, she knew it had gotten quite late. The wood was still and quiet around them; the near constant breeze had vanished, leaving in its wake a blanket of snow cloaking the ground, making everything appear blameless and new._

 _Harry huffed a laugh. "Me, too." He leaned into her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "What is it? What's wrong?"_

 _"I don't know what to do."_

 _"Come on," he said, rising and reaching for her hand. "Let's go inside."_

 _It had become commonplace, his reaching for her. She supposed it afforded Harry as much comfort as it did her; lately, though, Hermione could not imagine being able to survive without his touch. Physical connection between them had become as necessary as air; it seemed to provide a buffer against the false tranquility suggested by the thin, pristine cover of snow._

 _Back in the tent, she settled on her cot, as she usually did, and found the book bequeathed to her by the former Headmaster. Its cover had begun to wear thin, flopping open easily now after endless re-reads._

 _She was tired of the stories._

 _So very tired of the words, so very tired of struggling with meanings that eluded her._

 _Before she could find the page she wanted, Harry pulled the book from her hands, snatching it away only to abandon it on the small table next to the cot. Next, he removed the locket with a sigh, discarding it on the table next to the threadbare book,and sat down next to her, his thigh long and solid against hers. He kept his eyes on the space in front of him._

 _"Hermione."_

 _She could feel him through her denims, his warmth, his strength. She turned to look at him, questioning, but he kept his eyes ahead._

 _"I know you and Ron—"_

 _She interrupted with a bitter laugh. "He's gone, Harry. I don't think there is a 'Ron and me' anymore. In fact, I'm certain there never was."_

 _He was silent for so long, she thought he might not say anything more. Finally, he whispered, "Do you think there could ever be a 'Harry and me'?"_

 _She felt her face flush. She glanced down at her hands, empty and folded on her lap, in case her eyes gave her away. How long had she wanted to hear those words from him?_

 _Truthfully? Years._

 _He turned to her. The uncertainty etched in his features made her want to weep. How, how could he be unsure of her feelings for him?_

 _As he reached out and cupped her jaw in his hand, Hermione let her eyes fall closed. She felt him draw closer, felt his breath graze her cheek, felt his exhale ripple gently through the madness of her hair. In return, she breathed him in, his unlikely scent reminding her of apples and cinnamon and broom polish. It was a musky spiciness that spoke only of Harry, and in that moment, she knew a lifetime would never satisfy her need to taste him, to feel him, to love him._

 _She would never be sated._

 _"Do you think…would you want…maybe we…?" he stumbled before moving any closer._

 _She leaned into his whisper and bent her head so that she felt his ragged breath heavily against her lips. He lingered there, just out of reach, waiting for her permission._

 _"Please…"_

 _He kissed her then, tentatively brushing his lips against hers. It struck her that his lips were unlike anything she had touched in some time: soft, warm, and tender._

 _She opened her eyes. As he gently pulled away, he smiled crookedly at her, with the smile that had charmed her even in the moments when she'd been terribly angry with him._

 _"If we live through this…" Harry whispered._

 _"If we live through this…" she echoed._

 _"I want you. Only you," he said. "There's never been anyone but you."_

 _She accepted the lie with surprising ease._

 _For a heartbeat, she remembered how Harry's eyes followedevery girl at Hogwarts with straight hair: Cho, Parvati, Ginny…and how Fifth Year, she'd sat for hours trying to master a spell to straighten her curls, so that maybe, just maybe, Harry Pottermight notice her._

 _She remembered the teasing of her dorm mates, the whispers that accused her of having no friends but boys. Those taunts had only pushed her further away, further towards Harry and Ron—well, especially towards Harry._

 _And she remembered articles in questionable Muggle magazines, hastily read in her mum's loo, touting how the truly lucky wed their best friend._

 _Could this—whatever this had always been between them—become something they could share for the rest of their lives?_

 _And with that last thought, she forced her mind back to the feel of the tips of his fingers against her skin; she leaned into his touch once more, turning to kiss his palm gently, and putting her hand atop his as he cupped her face._

 _He kissed her again._

 _Not with the cold precision of Viktor that somehow left her wanting._

 _And not with the fumbling arrogance of Cormac that left her repulsed._

 _Harry kissed her with an openness that was somehow beautiful in its sincerity and simplicity; his lips met hers with a flawless blend of reverence and confidence, tenderness and command._

 _Because he was…Harry._

 _Gods…_

 _She allowed herself to smile into his next kiss._

 _There was nothing else but this. And him. There had never been anything but him._

 _Hermione felt something inside give way: all the memories and all the excuses, the lies she had told herself over the years, the fear, the denial that he was the one she wanted. That he'd always been the one._

 _Letting all of it go didn't make it any easier._

 _It was hard to let yourself love someone you knew was destined to die._

 **oOo**

"Here," Harry said, breezing back into the sitting room as if nothing were amiss and handing her a generous Firewhisky.

She took the tumbler from him and suppressed a sigh. It wasn't as though she hadn't wanted to end things with Ron months ago. And it wasn't as though she had an excuse for taking her timedoing it. She had just wanted Harry to come to her. And she wanted him to be free of Ginny when he did.

Was that so wrong?

Harry just always seemed rather…content in Ginny's arms.

But what should she say to him, now that she was here?

"I don't know where to start. Or what to say," she admitted. "I just wanted to see you." Hermione took a deep drink from the glass and set it on the table in front of her. The liquid seared her throat, but willed her hands to stay steady.

He looked at her curiously, warily, as if he knew her presence signified much more than that, and he was trying to suss out exactly why she had said the little she had. "I don't know where to start, either," he finally said.

She swallowed thickly. "Ron…it's over between us. I broke it off. It seemed silly to continue if I never intend to marry him. I wanted you to know."

"I figured."

The distance in Harry's two simple words had never been there before. _Ever_.

He took a swallow of his own Firewhisky and stared into the space over her left shoulder.

So she'd been wrong. Her eyes pricked again. "Maybe I shouldn't have come."

"You can always come here, Hermione. You know that," he responded flatly.

"That's no answer, Harry."

"You're right. It's not," he admitted. "I don't know what to do."

She laughed bitterly. "Then don't do anything."

"Have you ever known me to do nothing?"

At that, she saw his eyes change; the anguish vanished and he was the boy in the tent again, hers alone, snuggled next to her on her cot, and she was once more the focus of those deep green eyes, as if nothing else in the world mattered to him except her.

"Come here," Harry whispered, beckoning her to him with a small gesture. The motion was so unlike what she had come to expect of the man he'd become, Hermione found herself on her feet and moving toward him without a thought. As she folded herself into the space next to him, he draped a heavy arm around her shoulders as if it had always belonged there.

 **oOo**

 _The first evening Harry kissed her in the tent, she curled up next to him on the lumpy cot and fell asleep with his arms around her. Hours later, she awoke to the murmured sounds of Parseltongue, flitting on the edge of her consciousness._

 _For the next two and a half weeks, they held each other every night, every chance, every moment. He was never farther than the tips of her fingers._

 _Two and a half weeks later, Ron returned, and together, the boys destroyed the locket._

 _Threaded within her utter relief that another Horcrux was gone was the raw disappointment that Ron had returned at all. Ron was the intruder threatening her fledgling relationship with Harry, thoroughly unwelcome in what Hermione had come to think of as their space._

 _By an unexpressed, mutual agreement, they didn't speak of the small beginning between them in front of Ron. Depending on when she thought about it, the silence seemed either insignificant or momentous._

 _The evening following the locket's demise was cold and wet._

 _"I'm going out for some air," Ron muttered, not quite sourly, but not pleasantly, either._

 _"Hermione," Harry said quickly. He reached for her hand, and gave it a squeeze before letting it go. The loss of it crushed her in a million tiny ways._

 _"I'm sorry," he said. "We just can't right now."_

 _And the distance between his fingertips and her skin became infinite._

 _"I know." She couldn't keep the sadness out of her reply._

 _"We've a job to do, and we have to concentrate on that. And with Ron here…" He tucked a wayward curl behind her ear._

 _"I know."_

 _"How about this: if we live through this mess, we'll go from there."_

 _Hermione had just enough strength to nod._

 **oOo**

 _Harry stumbled unsteadily up to Hermione and Ron on the stone staircase, his glasses slightly askew. Sticky, reddish-brown rivulets had dried into the lines on his face, fed from a gash in his forehead that had long ago stopped bleeding. His jacket was torn. His hands—gods, his hands, the ones she still ached to hold—were trembling and black with dirt. Hermione wondered fleetingly if he would drop his wand._

 _Harry glanced at her fingers intertwined with Ron's, and his lips thinned. He raised his eyes to lock with hers, the green sharp with equal parts determination and jealousy. I'll allow it, he seemed to say. I don't want you to be alone after I'm gone._

 _"Take care of her," he said sharply to Ron, without lifting his eyes from hers._

 _"Sure, mate."_

 _Breaking his stare, Harry turned away and descended the stairswithout looking back._

 **oOo**

 _The sight of Harry's limp body in Hagrid's arms a lifetime later—or perhaps just an hour later, Hermione wasn't sure—ruined her in ways she could had never imagined._

 _Of course, she had known Harry's likely fate. But the knowledge had done nothing to prepare her for witnessing it._

 _Her knees slowly buckled; she sagged against Ron silently as the collapsed courtyard threatened to swallow her whole. She thought she would sick up; she thought her heart would stop. Her mouth went dry. Words evaporated on her tongue, as if everything she could think of to scream had suddenly vanished from existence._

 _From behind her within the ruined walls, Ginny's piercing cry announced her own despair._

 _But a heartbeat later, she was first the person Harry's eyes sought as they opened; she, Hermione Jean Granger, with her unlikely hair and filthy denims, was the one he wanted to see after tasting death and returning blissfully, wonderfully, absurdly alive._

 _I made it, his eyes seemed to say. I'm here._

 _But Ron had not let go of her hand._

 _And the battle that she had thought long decided, began anew._

 _In the ugly aftermath, amid the dust and grime and the wails of Molly, among the shattered bodies and crumbled stone, Harry approached her as she stood helpless, trapped within the Weasleys' bubble of grief._

 _"Ron?" he asked. His eyes were distant. Somehow, he seemed to already know that Ron had kissed her. She glanced behind her at her broken friend: a gangly, freckled boy who had promised Harry that he would take care of her. Protect her._

 _He had._

 _Ron was sobbing._

 _She owed him…some comfort._

 _"For now," she said softly. Harry's eyes darted over her shoulder, as if Harry was reappraising Ron's worth in his appointed role._

 _From behind her, Ginny's hysteria became unable to ignore, and suddenly, Hermione was not the focus of Harry's stubborn loyalty. She vaguely wondered how long it would be until she regained her place there._

 _"Ginny?" she asked._

 _"For now," he echoed._

 _And a lifetime changed in the span of a breath._

 _Harry hugged her then, fiercely, as if he wanted to make sure she felt the echo of his arms around her long after he was gone. "Harry," she said, her voice muffled in his shirt. "I—"_

 _"I know," he said, cutting across her softly and pressing a kiss into the top of her hair. "I love you, too."_

 _Harry released her and turned away. "Don't forget me," she whispered into the space where he stood a moment before._

 _A breath later, she'd seen him take Ginny in his arms_.

 **oOo**

"Hermione," Harry began. "We need to—I need to—"

The door to the flat slammed, vibrating the two half empty glasses of Firewhisky on the table in front of them. Hermione jumped.

"Har?" Ginny's piercing voice carried within the small flat, echoing over the bare walls.

"In here," he called. "'Mione's here." Hermione grimaced at the use of her hated Weasley-made nickname. She glanced at Harry and saw that the colour had drained from his face, and his lips were set in a grim line.

Ginny strode into the room, but Harry didn't remove his arm from around her shoulders.

"Gin, you're back."

"Yeah." Ginny shot Harry an odd look. "I am."

Hermione struggled to free herself from beneath Harry's hold, standing and brushing off her denims with shaking hands. After a quick, assessing glance at Hermione, Ginny settled into the space next to Harry that Hermione had abandoned. She kissed Harry on the cheek, and threaded her fingers in his.

Ginny continued, "I'm sure Harry told you. Can you believe it, 'Mione? On Valentine's Day of all days? Not at all predictable, this one." She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Wanna see?"

Ginny thrust out her left hand to reveal an engagement ring that would have made the Malfoy family jeweler proud.

Hermione felt the blood drain from her own face in an echo a Harry's from a moment before, and caught the back of a chair to steady herself to stop the room from tilting. Pressing her lips into a semblance of a smile, she prayed Ginny's excitement distracted her from noticing that it never touched her eyes.

 _I already watched you die, Harry. Now you going to leave me again. Forever._

This time, though, Ron wasn't at her side to catch her.

"Congratulations," Hermione choked out, trying and failing to swallow.

"Thanks!" Ginny said, beaming and staring down at her new ring. Harry, who had apparently recovered from Ginny's entrance, reached over and tucked a length of long, red hair behind her ear affectionately.

Hermione flinched.

"I need to be off," Hermione managed. "I'm sure you two have plans."

"I bet Ron has a plan or two for this evening as well," Ginny said with a wink, and glancing at Harry coyly. Hermione attempted to keep her smile.

"I think—" Harry began.

"Oi! I just realized in all the confusion that I left the dress I was going to wear tonight at The Burrow. I'll be back in a few." Shekissed Harry on the cheek, breezed by Hermione, and headed toward the fireplace. "Assuming I don't get stuck by Mum again. She's alternating between hugging me, crying about her 'baby girl', and laughing uncontrollably." With another, more elaborate eye roll, Ginny grabbed a handful of Floo powder. "I may need a Firewhisky or two when I get back, Har."

Ginny disappeared in a wall of green flame.

"I—" Harry began again.

If she didn't get out of Harry's flat immediately, Hermione was certain she would collapse. She moved for the door and stumbled, nearly upending the glasses of Firewhisky on the table.

Harry grabbed her arm, stopping her mid-flight. "I would never have asked her if I thought there was any chance—"

"It's fine. Actually, it's brilliant. I'm happy for you both." Her shaky voice betrayed the loss she felt to her marrow. There was nothing else left to say; all the rest was rubbish. She'd as good as said everything she needed to. Besides, he already kneweverything that she hadn't said.

 _He knew._

He scrubbed one hand down his face, never letting her go with the other. "Hermione—"

"Harry. It's fine. Really," she repeated.

"Don't leave. Not now. _Please_."

"No. No. It's okay. I knew you and Ginny—"

"It's never going to be okay, Hermione!" he spat. The hardness in his eyes hit her in the gut, paralyzing her with its intensity."He was supposed to take care of you— _for a_ _while_. In the end, it was supposed to be me." He released her and ran his hand through his undisciplined hair, and took a deep, ragged breath. "You knew that. You _know_ that," he said a bit more calmly.

She couldn't move. "Harry—"

"You forgot me."

A part of her wanted to laugh hysterically at the absurdity of his words. Another part murmured _I wish I could._ She forced both voices silent.

"Don't."

"He bought a ring! And he dragged me with him to do it! Can you even imagine what that was like for me? Have you any idea the things he tells me about you two after a couple of Firewhiskys? We're talking about _Ron_ here, Hermione! And you guys looked like you were…were…I don't know! Happy! I thought you had changed your mind about us! I never said anything because I didn't want to…I don't know…intrude! I thought well, I'm at the shoppe anyway, and she's as good as married to Ron, and Gin wanted—" He stopped abruptly, seeming to realize he shouldn't mention his fiancée.

Harry took her by her upper arms, his voice pleading for understanding. "It wasn't supposed to be forever—I was waiting for you. But you never came."

"I was waiting for _you_ ," she said simply. "Now there's nothing for it, I suppose."

She encircled her ring finger with the fingers from her other hand and twisted the empty skin. A tear escaped down her cheek.

"Nothing? No. No, there was something between us—we had _something_ , Hermione."

"We had eighteen days," she said, and pulled out of Harry's grip to Apparate away.

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 **The writer would like to thank you for reading and reviewing this story! Hope you enjoyed xxx**


	9. Oblivious and Annoying

**Story title: Oblivious and Annoying**

 **Pairing: Hermione/Draco**

 **Characters: Hermione, Ron , Draco**

 **Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst**

 **Writer: Anonymous at this time**

 **Summary: Hermione has been knocking back Ron's advances for weeks but he didn't seem to get it, making a very public scene when he asks her to be his Valentine she finally gets through to him with her refusal breaking his heart, worse still is when he sees who she's chosen instead**

I want to thank my amazing beta KU aka KRiddle, not only did she do a fantastic job of beta-ing my work but she offered of her own free will and towards the end of the contest time on top of all that. She's awesome, supportive, motivational and not afraid to tell it as it which is definitely something I need! You're awesome, I love you and thank you again for undoubtedly making my work 100× better

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

"Go away Ron!" Exasperated and too tired to deal with another round of oblivious Ron and his attempts at obtaining a date with her, Hermione might have shoved past him a little harder than necessary.

Not that it helped, he quickly grabbed her arm moments later once again impeding her progress, "C'mon 'Mione please, just one drink. It doesn't even have to be dinner or anything big," Ron begged, a hopeful look in his eyes. Hermione knew she had to somehow remove that look if she wanted to have a proper friendship with him; but she knew she would hurt her friend in the process. Sighing, she turned to face him. Readjusting her hold on her shoulder bag with one hand she placed the other on her hip.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley stop asking me out. I only like you as a friend and I'm involved with someone else anyway so back off!" With that she turned and rushed off towards her own dormitory, refusing to stick around and hear any further protests he had.

Arriving at the Gryffindor Head's dormitory she mutters the password and steps in, relieved to see Blaise wasn't in the lounge room to pester her about her day straight away. She headed towards her her room, shutting and locking the door before placing her bag on her desk and crashing down on top of her bed.

How one person could be so oblivious and annoying was beyond he. She didn't want to lose his friendship or potentially damage her other friendships, but at this point it seemed like she would have to ram a 'not interested' sign down his throat before he finally got it.

Rolling over onto her back to sit up she went to her desk and started taking her books, homework and other assorted things such as her quills and ink. She lay them out on her desk, which happily resided near her window that had a built in reading seat.

Stretching slightly before sitting down on her rather comfortable rolling office chair she pushed everything but school work out of her mind and she felt herself slowly relax and unwind from the comfort of the familiar task. She easily completed the set questions for Defence Against the Dark Arts and Potions, finding the intellectually focused task calming although she knew not everyone shared her view on its relaxation qualities.

 **oOo**

Several hours later after completing nearly the entire week's worth of homework for all her classes, she came crashing back to the reality of the real world and all its issues by a loud and urgent knocking on her door.

Putting her quill carefully in her inkpot and leaving the parchment spread out on the desk so the ink dried, she pushed the chair out from the desk before standing and slowly walking over to her bedroom door, confident she knew who it was and what it would be about.

Sure enough when she opened the door her favourite muscled, blonde, handsome man was in her view. After her long day she didn't hesitate to grab him forcefully by the shirt and drag him in close for a long, deep kiss releasing a happy sigh in the process.

Draco was completely shocked at how his knocking was received but wasn't particularly complaining when his girlfriend shoved her tongue in his mouth. He quickly returned the favour and she pulled him into the room as she continued the kiss and shut the door behind him.

He had heard all about today's events from Blaise, who had happened across the pair and watched what occurred from the privacy of an alcove; despite really wanting to punch the redheaded git, Draco was more concerned with how Hermione was doing. He knew Ron was getting to her with his constant propositions.

If a bit of heavy snogging was what she needed to release the obvious tension he could feel in her neck after having wrapped one of his hands around the back of it, tangling his fingers into her curly brown hair, he wasn't going to be the one to deny her.

Finally breaking apart, both breathing a little heavily she smiled up at him adoringly and pecked him on the lips quickly before sitting back down on her bed, lightly dragging Draco down next to her by the hand.

Leaning her head into his shoulder, Draco instinctively wrapped an arm around her pulling her in closer and soothingly rubbing his hand along her upper arm as he waited for her breathing return to normal and her body to relax. After a minute or so he felt her adjust her position slightly so she was facing him, "Thank you Draco, I'm sorry about that it's been a long day and I've missed you." A small frown appeared on her face as she apologised and Draco chuckled.

"Hermione what are you sorry for? Taking longer than a second to answer the door? Kissing your boyfriend? Because I'm certainly not going to complain about that." Noticing some dark smudges on his shirt he chuckles again.

"Maybe for the stains your ink covered fingers left on my shirt, but even that isn't something that a quick Scourgify can't fix." By the end of his spiel Hermione's frown had been replaced by the ghost of a smile.

"What would I do without you hmm? It seems like these days you're always saving me from breaking apart. Funny that." Recapturing his lips with a wry smile on her own, she hummed contentedly, thinking about how well, albeit unpredictably, her life had turned out after the war was over.

 **oOo**

Tomorrow was Valentine's Day, and Hermione was struggling to get to sleep. She had heard some rumours that partially scared her but mostly made her angry at Ron; now she was dreading tomorrow arriving despite previously being thrilled. Ron was apparently still planning something involving her, and from the sounds of things it would be over the top and extremely public. This information had come from Lavender and Parvarti, who were trying to pass this on in speech that was constantly interrupted by giggling fits. Hermione questioned the reliability of their testimony, but one could never be sure.

Letting out a frustrated groan Hermione adjusted her position for what seemed like millionth time. Why, after several opportunities to be with her, did Ron pick now, when she wanted nothing from him. She hadn't been interested in him for nearly three years. Everyone else had noticed her lack of interest except Ron himself, who was blissfully unaware and stuck in a lovestruck daze. It probably didn't help that only a select few knew about Draco since it had only been a few slow and steady months, and Ron wasn't really one of those people likely to take it well. They were slowly becoming more public, but the backlash wasn't something either of them were looking forward to.

Slowly blinking and sitting up Hermione looked at the clock on the wall and groaned. It wasn't even midnight yet. Getting out of bed and tiptoeing to quietly open the door she focused her mind on making a warm cup of tea to help calm herself. Just as quietly as she opened it she shut the door behind her and continued towards the kitchenette she shared with Blaise. Getting out one of the cups and placing it on the bench she put the kettle on to boil before grabbing the box containing her favourite chamomile tea and the jar of honey, her preference in sweetener. Leaving out milk but adding two teaspoons of honey and some cold water to the boiling water in the cup she took the teabag out after a minute or so until it was just perfect.

Taking her tea cup in her hands she went to the lounge and settled into a warm and comfortable armchair. She took a long sip of her tea. As the warm liquid travelled down her throat, settling in her stomach, a tiny amount of potential madness seems to seep out of her mind.

Each sip of her tea alleviates the toll of enduring the insanely agitating and repetitive thought process that had been plaguing her since before her head first hit the pillow.

Whatever happened tomorrow, she would deal with it like she dealt with most things these days; intelligently, confidently and with Draco by her side.

She had long finished her cup of tea when she heard the kettle start to boil again. Getting up to see who it was, she saw the familiar outline of the Slytherin man that shared the Head's dormitory with her. Blaise had refilled the kettle and was making his own late night drink. Leaning against the bench and turning to look at her, he gave her a warm smile, which she saw despite the dim kitchen lighting.

She placed her cup down next to his and before she had the chance to even reach out Blaise had already replaced her tea bag. He already knew which one she was going to grab from countless other late night tea parties between the two of them. They had learnt each others deepest thoughts, feelings and dreams from their meaningful conversations, a strong bond of trust and friendship had developed between them. It wasn't surprising that he knew that she wasn't feeling the best.

Pulling her in for an extremely comforting hug, his warm hand rubbed circles on her back, making her relax a little bit more and her tense muscles began to slowly fade away just like the headache she had had all evening. Inhaling the familiar scent of Blaise's personal and rather expensive cologne that always lingered around him and surrounding objects, she felt calmer than she had all night.

Blaise always had that effect because, (surprisingly considering it was Blaise Zabini known flirt and lady chaser), she never felt any pressure or discomfort in his presence, only the ease of simple uncomplicated but strong friendship. They both knew where they stood and they were perfectly fine with where that was.

Almost as if he knew she needed all the comfort she could get, he pressed a light kiss on her head and hummed soothingly to her. Then he made them their tea and they drank in comfortable silence before retiring to their rooms. Hermione was now able to actually fall asleep now that her brain had stopped running at light speed.

 **oOo**

Hermione woke to the sound of an owl tapping on her window. Yawning as she stretched and clambered out of bed, she didn't take a lot of notice of whose owl it was or what it was carrying. Mindlessly lifting the latch and opening the window, Hermione turned to grab a treat for the owl. Turning back with a couple of treats in her open palm extended towards the owl, she finally noticed the gift it had delivered her.

In front of her lay a dozen beautifully blooming roses, all charmed so the petals imitated the surface of a different gemstone for each rose. Attached was an ornate letter with elegant handwriting in dark ink across the front of the envelope addressed to her. Grabbing the envelope and opening it she started reading the beautifully embossed words:

 _Hermione Granger,_

 _In recent times I have grown to know you as a person, and I thank Merlin for that opportunity. You are more than I could ever imagine I would be lucky enough to have in a partner, and I love you more than anyone I have ever loved in my entire existence. I cannot wait to spend my future with you by my side as we continue to grow and learn. I hope I can always make you feel happy and as loved as you make me feel._

 _Eternally yours,_

 _Draco Malfoy_

After reading the letter and looking at the gift he had sent to her she felt a wave of love and adoration wash over her. She gave the owl one last absent-minded stroke before it took off back out the window. Hermione readjusted the roses so they would get the sunlight shining on them for most of the day, before grabbing her gift for Draco out of her bedside drawer and proceeding to get ready for classes.

She had taken a while to decide what to get him but eventually settled on an emerald green patterned quill with a matching ink pot. After dressing and grabbing her books, she headed down to the Great Hall, completely forgetting about Ron; until she walked in and saw him holding an obnoxious amount of red heart shaped balloons, an excessively large card and a bouquet of daisies. She walked towards her friends and sat down, trying to avoid catching Ron's eye and hoping he didn't notice her. Piling food onto her plate, she started eating straight away, hoping to get out of there quickly and avoid him completely if possible.

She was not that lucky however, and Ron made his way over before she could finish eating. she desperately tried to find a way to escape the impending disaster.

Ron was almost swaggering as he walked over, sure that his presents were going to impress Hermione. Knowing how this was likely to go she almost felt a bit sorry for him; as bad as this was going to be for her, she wasn't getting publicly rejected on Valentines Day.

"Hello beautiful, how are you on this fine day of romance? I got these gifts for you to express my love for you, I hope you like them." As he thrust the gifts towards her, Hermione didn't know what she was meant to do with them. Deciding to try and make this as gentle as possible, she took the gifts and placed them down on the table immediately.

A frown crossed Ron's face, but he quickly recovered and presented her with another smile, waiting for her response. Swallowing nervously she quickly planned out what she would say to him; how could she possibly avoid hurting her once best friend, and how would she be able to restore that friendship after this, when it was already so strenuous between the two of them?

She took a deep breath and looked Ron right in the eyes, trying her best to convey her sincerity. Quietly she began her final attempt at getting through to him.

"Ron I am beyond sorry that it has come to this. We used to be so close and I genuinely miss that; but the opportunity for what you want disappeared a long time ago, and I'm not so sure that even if we had taken it that we would have been happy. We really aren't meant for each other romantically. I think of you as a brother Ron. I love you but not how you want and I don't think you really want this either. You just think this is how it should be, but we were made for other people.

A lot of people already know this, and I've been trying to tell you for some time now; I've been dating Draco for several months and I see a future with him. I hope that one day we can return to being friends again, but for now I think you need to take some time to rethink your viewpoint on a few things. Come and find me when you're willing to just be my friend.

I care about you Ron, but I can't keep doing this and it's not good for you either. Goodbye." Getting up from the table and placing a light kiss on his cheek, Hermione walked out of the Great Hall without another word or a single look back. What had been done was done, and she had no desire to see the aftermath of it. Walking out onto the grounds and heading down to the lake she ignored any calls of her name, and the look on her face deterred anyone from trying to get too close; besides most wanted to gossip to each other about it or get back to their own Valentine's Day plans.

Finally reaching a secluded spot far away from the castle she sat down on the grass and stared at the lake and the forest on the other side, absorbing the warm sunlight. She closed her eyes and lay down, letting her mind empty so she could just enjoy the solitude of this moment.

 **oOo**

Draco had silently watched on from the Slytherin table; and when Hermione had walked out, his eyes remained on Ron, not her. He knew Hermione could take care of herself and he thought that she handled it rather well. He was, however a bit worried at how Ron would react to the situation.

He didn't go into a rage like Draco thought he would; in fact he just sat there looking defeated and heartbroken. Draco supposed he would too if Hermione had rejected him. Luckily, he didn't have to worry about that, but he still felt a little bad for the bloke.

Ron had collected the gifts off the table and started disheartedly shuffling out of the Great Hall. Most people were trying to avoid looking at him, rather than laughing at him; everyone felt sorry for him and didn't have the heart to make light of the situation, which Draco was grateful for. The last thing he needed was for Ron to be humiliated or enraged and make a rash decision.

While lost in thought over Ron, Harry had made his way over to Draco and sat down beside him, giving a polite nod to Blaise who was on Dracos other side.

"She handled that well. I actually think Ron will finally accept that it's not going to happen and be alright eventually, but right now he's heartbroken, and I think it'll be best if you and Hermione stay away from him for a little while until he's had time to process it all. He doesn't need a constant reminder of what just happened for the next few days because that will just make him more upset, take longer for him to get over it if you get what I mean?" Harry said thoughtfully.

"I get you don't worry, I'm not particularly keen on running into him myself, and I think you're right about leaving him alone for a bit. Although maybe you should go check on him, I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm worried about the poor sod." Running his hand through his hair, Draco sighed, wondering when he started caring about Rons well-being. It was probably due to Hermione caring about the boy.

"I'm going to go make sure Hermione is alright, just… let me know how things are going with Ron please Potter." Harry nodded in agreement. Standing up, Draco nodded Potter and Blaise in farewell then headed to the lake, knowing that it's the most likely place Hermione would have gone to.

As he walked around the shore of the lake towards the far end, he felt the unpleasant atmosphere that he had encountered in the Great Hall dissipate. His heart felt lighter, and a peaceful calm came over him. Somehow he knew things would be alright.

Ron would grow out of his broken heart and neither Draco nor Hermione would have to worry about dealing with his advances anymore. Finding Hermione laying down on the grassy bank soaking up the sunlight, he stood a distance away just watching her. Her eyes were closed and she looked the most relaxed he'd seen her in weeks. Her chest rose from her even breathing and her face was starting to flush from the sun but she was far from burning; she looked beautiful, and he felt his heart beat in a steady rhythm from being back in her presence.

She was his anchor and the only thing guaranteed to calm him no matter what. This was the girl he was going to spend the rest of his life with,he knew. Stepping closer he lay down next to her and she reached for his hand intertwining it with hers.

That was how they spent a good portion of their Valentines Day; lying down on the grass in comfortable silence, simply content with each other's company and enjoying the nice weather away from the rest of the world even if it was just for a little while.

 _It was enough for them._

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 **The writer** ** _would like to thank you for reading and reviewing this story! Hope you enjoyed xxx_**


	10. Rock Bottom

**Story Title: Rock Bottom**

 **Rating: G**

 **Genre: Romance/Angst/Drama**

 **Fanfic penname: N/A**

 **Facebook name: Anonymous at this time**

 **Pairing: Ginny/Harry, Ginny/Neville**

 **Summary: A broken heart leads Ginny to someone she never expected**

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

" _Everything is perfect,"_ Ginny thought, glancing around the table she had set up. Today was her first Valentine's Day with Harry as a couple. As a kid, she never thought she would end up dating her crush. He seemed way out of her league and interested in everyone but her. But yet, here she was, getting ready to celebrate love and them as a couple. The sound of the front door opening and footsteps coming towards the kitchen broke Ginny's thoughts. Harry had arrived. "Sit down Harry, dinner is almost ready. Let me pour you some wine," Ginny told him. Harry did as she asked, and after pouring some wine for him to drink, she pulled dinner from the oven and served it, first to him, then to herself.

Dinner was unusually quiet and strained, in Ginny's mind. Harry just didn't seem to be all there today. Sure, Harry was talking, but he just didn't seem to freely give information, giving short answers whenever she asked him something. " _Maybe he is just tired from work,"_ Ginny thought, " _I should just give him a little space and let him eat without chattering. Lord knows I can chatter all day when I'm not thinking about it."_

About five minutes later, Harry sighed and looked up at her, "Ginny I just can't do this."

Ginny started to tremble, stuttering out "What do you mean?"

"I'm not in love with you anymore Ginny. When we were just kids at Hogwarts and you were going out with all those other guys, I thought I wanted you. Maybe I did in the beginning. But now, I just don't love you back anymore. I didn't want to tell you today, but after seeing all this work you put in for me I decided it was best to let you know now."

Ginny swallowed hard, a huge lump seemed to form in her throat in the last thirty seconds. She tried to say something, anything, but knew she couldn't without bursting into tears. She pushed her food around her plate, not hungry anymore. Harry really didn't seem hungry anymore either, as he was doing the same thing.

After about five minutes of this Harry got up to leave, "I better go Ginny. I hope you're able to find someone that will love you in the way I never will be able to." And with that, the person that she was so in love with, left her behind, her heart shattered. Today was Valentine's Day, the day where people were supposed to celebrate love, not shatter hearts. The tears that were threatening to form now spilled out of her eyes. Ginny ran to her bedroom and buried her face into her pillows, sobbing. This was not how today was supposed to go.

 **~/3~ ~/3~ ~/3~**

It was a little over a week after Harry shattered Ginny's heart. Ginny was now sitting at some muggle bar, a bar that advertised weekend specials. The drinks here weren't bad, nothing like what was offered in the wizarding world. She just couldn't make herself go anywhere that might have someone asking about her and Harry, about what happened. She considered herself a strong, independent woman, but this heartbreak had reduced her to a crying mess. She was afraid that she would never get over her broken heart.

Ginny was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice that a familiar face had sat down next to her. She only realized it when she recognized the voice ordering a drink. "Neville…" she said looking.

"Hey," he replied, "I was hoping that was you. I wasn't for sure, but I really wanted it to be you." Neville was still a little awkward, never really getting over that from their Hogwarts years. Sure, he was less awkward than he was when he took her to the Yule Ball, but he still wasn't the type that you would call the perfect Prince Charming. Yet, despite his awkwardness, he had an appeal to him. He was so gentle and kind that you couldn't help liking him.

Ginny smiled, "Well you were probably the last person I would think would be in here. I thought I was the only one who knew about this place." Ginny replied. It was true though, she had visited this bar a few times since she left Hogwarts, whenever she felt like being just another person instead of someone that everyone knew. Sure, she was proud to be a person that was known in the wizarding world, but sometimes, a girl just needs a few drinks by herself.

Neville laughed just a little, "Yeah. I stumbled upon this bar by accident one day after work. I decided to try it just to see then began to love the atmosphere. It really holds some sort of charm, doesn't it?"

"Yeah it really does," Ginny said, beginning to relax a little. Neville had grown up a lot even after leaving Hogwarts. He was still the same kind yet awkward person he was ever since she met him, but he had become very handsome in the last few years.

Soon, Ginny found herself wrapped up in conversation with Neville. They talked about almost everything but Harry as the time passed without them even realizing. The next thing they knew, the barkeeper was telling them that the bar was closed and they needed to get going. "Same time next week?" Ginny asked, hoping that he would say yes. She had missed this type of conversation. Harry was never this easy to talk to, even when they were a new couple.

"Sure Ginny, I'll buy drinks next time," he said, grinning at her.

"It's a date," slipped out of her mouth before she even realized. She wasn't ready to date or even have another relationship, it was just too soon after Harry broke up with her.

Neville didn't seem to care, however, since he just confirmed and walked her outside, "Yes, it certainly is a date, see you next week."

 **~/3~ ~/3~ ~/3~**

It had been two years since that fateful day. After about three months of meeting Neville at that little muggle bar, he asked her to be her girlfriend. She was unsure at first, thinking that it would just lead to another heartbreak. But Neville was just so much different, she decided to take a leap of faith. She was glad she did, Neville treated her both like a princess and a best friend. They would make popcorn and watch scary movies on that muggle thing called a television. They weren't scary to Ginny, more humorous than anything, but sitting there watching them and eating popcorn with him made them seem better. They would go on long walks, sometimes talking, sometimes silently watching what was going on.

Today was Valentine's Day. She really didn't want to make a big fuss about it, since the memory of Harry was still strong in her head. Still, she decided to invite Neville over for a simple pasta supper and some wine. She decided it wasn't about love or Valentine's Day, but simply a night with her boyfriend and favorite person.

Ginny was just finishing up the sauce when Neville walked in, "Hey babe, I brought some of that wine you liked. I'll pour you a glass when you finish up with supper." Ginny smiled, Neville was just so thoughtful. He seemed to love serving her as much as she loved serving him.

Dinner was going so much better this time around. They talked and laughed into their food. The atmosphere was bright and cheery. It was the day she was imagining with Harry, but with the person she wasn't expecting it to be. It was like a dream, yet it was reality.

They talked long after they were both full. Even though they saw each other often, they still had so much to say when they saw each other. "Hey babe," Ginny said, "I need to at least get these dishes soaking, otherwise they will be impossible to clean no matter what spell I use." Ginny got up, going to pick up the dishes.

She was surprised when Neville got up and took her hand, preventing her from picking up anything. Her heart pounded when he carefully lowered himself down on one knee, "Ginny, I have loved you ever since I took you to the Yule Ball. I was too much of a coward to say something while in school and I almost lost you. That chance meeting made me realize how important you are to me. I know you aren't a big fan of Valentine's Day after what happened with Harry, but I want to change that and make it special again. I want to be with you forever Ginny, will you marry me?" Neville withdrew a small box from his pocket and opened it. A small ring was nestled inside. It was the kind of ring that Ginny would have picked for herself, small, simple and elegant.

Tears came to her eyes, happy tears this time, as she said yes and Neville slide the ring onto her finger. It was the perfect fit, just as he was the perfect fit for her.

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 **The writer would like to thank you for reading and reviewing this story! Hope you enjoy xxx**


	11. Ginerva's Journal

**Title:Ginerva's Journal  
Rating: Teen  
Genre: Romance  
Written by Anonymous at this time **

**Pairing:Ginny &Harry**

 **Summary: It's Ginny's first year at Hogwarts, and behind that sweet innocent face hides deep secrets. Ginny learns to love, about heartbreak, and also that her daydreams are actually visions.**

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

This was the day! Being the youngest of seven children had its perks, but watching her brothers all experience Hogwarts while she waited patiently had been torturous. It was especially difficult after meeting Ron's best mate Harry Potter. He was famous, known as the boy who lived. To Ginny, he was so much more. He was brave, kind, genuine, and so handsome! Finally, it was her year to go to Hogwarts and the excitement and anticipation was overwhelming.

"Ginny, dear! Breakfast" called Mrs. Weasley. Ginny, disheveled, ran downstairs in her pajamas. When she got to the breakfast table she asked, "Mummy, have you seen my jumper?" And then she saw him, Harry Potter in all his glory, sitting right in front of her. He was there in her house, eating breakfast with her family. Wide eyed, embarrassed, and completely shocked, Ginny turned around and darted back upstairs to the safety of her room.

"Oh my gosh, he's here!" Ginny said to herself in a beguiled and frantic whisper. She must have looked so foolish to him! She wished she could redo what had just happened. She couldn't, so instead she put on her best clothes and fixed her long, beautiful red hair. She brushed her teeth, splashed water on her face and collected herself, ready to face him. She was growing up, she knew she wasn't a baby anymore. "Snap out of it Ginerva!" she scolded herself.

Later that day, the Weasleys along with Harry went to Diagon Alley to buy supplies for the new school year. "Oh look! It's Gilderoy Lockheart!" swooned Mrs. Weasley. She guided them all into the Flourish and Blotts to get all the books needed. As they entered the shop, Ginny noticed a rather mean looking boy. He had white blonde hair slicked back, he was dressed very pristinely and only wore the most expensive clothes. He had a permanent scowl on his face had an arrogance about him that Ginny didn't like. He walked toward Harry,

"Famous Harry Potter, can't even go to a bookshop without making the front page." He spat. Ginny's skin crawled, she wouldn't let him talk to Harry that way!

"Leave him alone," Ginny bravely remarked. The mean boy, who she learned to be Draco Malfoy chuckled and replied,

"OH! You got yourself a girlfriend!" At this, Ginny thought she might faint. Just the idea of being Harry's girlfriend made her heart feel like it might explode! She could imagine it now. Somewhere in the background she heard Draco, Harry and the rest of the group still talking and arguing, but she was too busy daydreaming to listen or even care.

She was imagining herself and Harry walking hand in hand around the grounds of Hogwarts. They found a special spot near the great lake to snuggle and talk. That image faded and then another one came. This time it was Harry talking to her. He said "It's like….like something out of someone else's life, these last few weeks with you…" This image faded and a new one came into focus. Harry and Ginny were in a very strange room. It was filled with mountainous pile of random junk. Harry stood with his eyes close. Ginny walked to him slowly and kissed him gently. Surprised, but very happy about it, Harry kissed her back.

Suddenly the images were gone, Ginny snapped out of her daydream. She felt weird. The daydream felt like something more. It seemed too real. How would she actually be able to picture her older self with an older Harry? What in the world was that room? It seemed like a gigantic closet. The daydream was too realistic and filled with too many details to be just a daydream. Somehow Ginny knew that that moment that it wasn't a daydream at all. Ginny had just had a vision.

Feeling a bit confused and dazed, Ginny didn't realize that someone had placed a rather beautiful, ancient looking, leather bound journal into her cauldron. She examined it at she and the others were finishing up their shopping. It was completely empty. Ginny asked her mother if she recognized it or knew where it came from. Molly said she had never seen it before, and assured her it would be okay to keep it.

Later that night, Ginny decided that she was going to write down her vision from earlier that day into the empty journal. She wanted to document everything that she saw so that she would never forget...not that she ever could. She wrote and sweetly reminisced the joy of her vision. She wrote about she and Harry holding hands and walking around the Hogwarts lake. She wrote about how he found them a spot to sit together close, and he put his arm around her. She wrote down what Harry has said to her in the vision. "...like something out of someone else's life..." Ginny paused in her writing and tried to decipher his meaning. Clueless, she continued to write. Last she described the strange room that looked like a closet full of junk and how her older self snuck up on Harry and quickly and gently kissed him on the lips. Secretly, Ginny hoped that she might have more visions and she might write them here in what she would keep hidden and call her vision journal.

"GRRRYFFINDORR!" yelled the sorting hat. Off pranced an ecstatic Ginny toward the Gryffindor table and her brothers. She tried to play it cool, but when she sat by Ron, there was Harry. Butterflies erupted in her stomach. In her glee, everything else faded once again to the background and once again Ginny was having a vision. In this vision, Ginny saw a lady's back, she was maybe in her thirties. The woman had lovely red hair, Ginny couldn't see her face. She heard the woman yell, "James, Albus, Lilly! Play nice please, and no Quidditch in the house! Ginny then directed her attention to the three kids.

"Ginny! Why haven't you eaten anything. Look at all this brilliant food, you haven't even touched it" said Ron.

"You know Ron, not all of us eat like you. We don't all act as if the meal we are eating will be our last. Leave her alone", replied Hermione.

Ginny, fresh from a new vision, couldn't wait to get to her journal and write her latest vision.

Later that night, in her four poster bed in the Gryffindor Tower, Ginny pulled out her journal and wrote everything and every detail of her vision. As she wrote, she wondered about who those children were. She speculated that they might be some kids she would meet this school year. The one named Albus reminded her of Harry for some reason. She was disappointed that this vision to do with Harry though.

The next few months passed in a flurry. Hogwarts was everything that Ginny had imagined it would be. She made new friends and enjoying her classes. Sadly, she didn't see much of Harry and when she did he paid her no attention. She occasionally had visions and wrote them in her journal. Most of them didn't make any sense to Ginny.

In one of her more interesting visions, Ginny saw a fifteen year old Harry in Hogsmeade. He was at a quaint little place called Madam Puddifoot's. It must have been Valentine's Day because the place was swarming with little cupids and was decorated quite ridiculously, in Ginny's opinion. Ginny saw Harry and a very pretty girl with long, black hair sitting together in the establishment obviously on a date. Ginny couldn't watch anymore, if anyone should be in that ridiculous place with Harry, it should be her! She forced herself out of the vision. Once in present time, she cried herself to sleep. The Valentine's Day vision, oddly enough, happened just a few days before February 14th. Ginny decided that she should act. Was she not a Gryffindor after all? She could be brave! She told herself that she would get Harry alone and tell him that she had feelings for him. She was young, yes, but she knew what she was feeling.

With as much courage as a twelve year old could muster, Ginny cornered Harry as he was walking to class on Valentine's Day.

"Hey Harry, how are you?" "Oh, hey Ginny, I'm...spectacular. Is everything ok? You look a bit put off." Ginny could feel her face burning as she blushed and felt her courage dissipate. "Harry, I think you are...are excellent at Quidditch." Ginny finished in a hurry. "Erm, thanks Ginny. Alright, I've got class. See you later." Harry awkwardly walked the opposite direction away from Ginny. She stood frozen, cursing herself and her cowardice. He obviously wasn't interested in her, what was she thinking? "Happy Valentine's Day to me." she said to herself in despair.

Ginny wanted to write about her grief to the journal. She thought that it might make her feel better if she wrote out her feelings. As she wrote, her words disappeared. Confused, Ginny checked her quill for defects. Before her eyes, her journal did something impossible. It wrote back to her! It told her that she was a silly little girl, and that her journal entries were foolish. The journal erased everything that she wrote and it started to fill Ginny's mind with evil ideas. It demanded her to do awful things. Once, Riddle ordered that she write a message on a corridor wall in blood. The power of the journal made her write "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir beware." She had no choice but to follow all orders because she was not herself when the journal took control of her. She soon realized that a boy named Tom Riddle previously owned this journal and used it as a diary. Through it, somehow Riddle was controlling her. Ginny tried to get rid of the diary because she was scared it might make her do something truly awful. She tried to burn it, but it wouldn't burn. She asked Seamus to make it explode, but no matter how he tried it remained in perfect condition. She even tried to flush it down a bathroom toilet. Ginny thought that it must have been protected by some type of dark magic, which frightened her even more.

The weeks continued and Riddle continued to use Ginny at his mercy. She soon became became withdrawn and almost constantly lived in fear. Toward the end of the school year the diary took her. She didn't know how but she was lost to it and she ended up in a huge, cold, terrifying chamber. She thought she would die, alone. She panicked and thought she would never get the chance to tell Harry how she felt, never get to experience that sweet kiss in the room of junk.

In and out of consciousness she heard voices. She heard hisses as if from a giant snake. She heard yelling and fighting. "Oh no no no, Ginny, please don't be dead. Wake up!" She knew that voice, it was Harry. She would recognize it anywhere. She tried, but she couldn't wake. Instead she slipped off into oblivion and into another blissful vision.

"Zip me up, will you?" Ginny was stunned to hear and see a mature sixteen or seventeen year old version of herself, bare backed and waiting for help with a zipper on the back of a beautiful dress that she was wearing. Ginny was also astonished to see a more mature and grown Harry respond at once and start zipping. After the dress was secured, Harry turned older Ginny around, looked lovingly into her eyes and kissed her, deeply. They kissed expertly, as if they had done it a hundred times before. The kiss was the stuff of Vision Ginny's dreams, she couldn't believe what she was witnessing. The kiss was slow, passionate and seems never to end.

It did end, and with a snap Ginny woke. She was renewed with hope and longing to tell Harry her feelings. She just knew he would feel the same. When she sat up, she found herself in a pool of dark blood. She was still in that cold and eerie chamber. She saw that the blood wasn't her own and instantly felt relieved. The blood belonged to the journal, it was stabbed with what look like a giant fang. Beside the journal was present day Harry Potter. He had come to save her!

Ginny started talking, "Harry, it was me, but I swear I didn't mean to. Riddle made me...Harry you're hurt!"

"Don't worry," winced Harry, holding his arm in pain. "Ginny, you need to get yourself out. Follow the chamber and you'll find Ron."

Ginny could tell that Harry was seriously injured, but before she could start thinking about what to do out f nowhere flew Fawkes. Dumbledore's phoenix came straight to Harry and spilled a few tears onto his punctured arm. Harry instantly healed! Ginny threw herselfonto Harry in a strong embrace.

"Oh Harry, don't you know I love you?!" Ginny didn't even know she was going to say it, it just slipped out. Harry took her hand and said,

"Ginny, you're my best mates sister and I care for you like a sister too." The words punched Ginny in the pit of her stomach, because she loved him not like a brother. She had enough brothers, she didn't need another. She was devastated, completely heartbroken. She was happy to be alive and happy that Harry had saved her, but heartbroken that Harry, who she knew to be her true love, didn't feel for her the way she felt for him. She wept, tears flowed without reprieve. Harry noticed, but he assumed it was just because she was scared or in shock from the whole ordeal.

Ginny clutched at her chest, desperately trying to sooth her own broken heart. In her grief and apathy, she recalled her visions...and held on to hope.

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 **The writer would like to thank you for reading and reviewing this story! Hope you enjoy xxx**


	12. Death would have been better

**Story Title: Death Would Have Been Better**

 **Rating: T**

 **Genre: heartbreak between sisters**

 **Your Fanfic Penname AND Facebook name: Anonymous at this time**

 **Pairing: non-romantic; Bella/Narcissa**

 **Summary: Bellatrix has spent almost 14 years in Azkaban and it is time for the Death Eaters to be broken out of that place. She is surprised to see her sister is the one to come and retrieve her and words are spoken that can never be taken back.**

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

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Fourteen years. That's how long Bellatrix waited for her Dark Lord to return. Everyone had given up hope that he was still out there. Except her, never her. She was his most loyal servant. She would give her life for him and his cause - the fact she has already given fourteen years already proves it. She would give an eternity more if it meant she'd see him again. Yes, she would give her whole life for a chance to fight with him and prove her allegiance to him again.

The Dementors mostly left her alone. The little happy thoughts she did have, they'd taken from her long ago. They had no interest in the fanatical thoughts that remained. There were rare occasions when a memory she'd long forgotten would return. As quickly as they returned, the Dementors also came and took them away

Bellatrix didn't have many happy memories of her childhood, but those rare and few she did have were pushed to the furthest recesses of her mind. Those memories served her no good in the life she lead. They were hindrances...weaknesses. However, when you are in a prison like Azkaban, all you have is time and all you do is think. So, on rare occasions, her mind would wander and her thoughts would deviate from her master to her youngest sister, Narcissa.

Cissy has always been more sensitive than her and Andy - too sensitive, in fact, that she'd always end up hurting. She also loved the purest, a trait Bellatrix both admired and hated. Bellatrix loved her sister. She was always there to protect her when there was need to. As children, Narcissa's purity made it hard for Bellatrix to ever be mad at her. This was true for their parents as well. Every time Narcissa was in trouble, it was always Bellatrix that took the blame. Cygnus and Druella would never dare punish their sweet perfect Pureblood youngest. "You should be a better example, Bella." They used to say. "Why can't you be more like Narcissa, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix was a rebellious child. Her parents wanted her to be the perfect pureblood wife and bear perfect pureblood children, but she never wanted any of that. She always felt she was destined for much more. Her name meant female warrior and that is exactly what she wanted to do with her life - to be a warrior. She never wanted to be someone's wife or a mother, no matter how much her father tried to beat the sentiment into her. The more they fought her on it, the surer she was that she wanted to fight for something. She didn't know what cause to fight for. She wasn't even sure she cared as long as it got her out of that house.

One fateful day, everything changed. She finally found that cause she'd spent her entire youth trying to find. She found it the day she met him. The Dark Lord. The moment she heard him speak, she knew this was it. She could finally become the person she was destined to be.

"With my guidance, dear Bellatrix, you would be magnificent," he promised her on their first meeting. He had seen something in her no one else had. Not her parents, and definitely not precious Narcissa.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the feeling of her left forearm burning. Glancing down at her mark, she watched as it came to life with movement. He has returned, she thought to herself with joy.

Today of all days, she would see him again after all this time. Today was a day meant for love. It was Valentine's Day. A day she never celebrated as love was a weakness. However, that wasn't the case when it came to her love for him - it was her strength.

She licked her mark before she turned her attention to the sound of a blast coming from somewhere close to her. Finally, someone had come for them! Her fellow Death Eaters, and if she were lucky, the Dark Lord would also be with them.

She stood from her spot in the corner, and listened for other sounds. There were sounds of cheering and cries all around her. Her heart raced with excitement as her door was blasted open by a spell. She could see a figure in the smoke and as it cleared she could make out who it was. Her expression instantly changed from that of joy to one of nonchalance.

"Cissy," She gasped, as her sister entered her small cell.

"Bella! You're alright!" Narcissa replied, closing the distance between them embracing her in a hug.

Bellatrix stood unmoving. It had been nearly fourteen years, and he couldn't even collect her himself. Of all people, it was Narcissa he sent. He was probably busy. Yes, that was it - she was sure of it!

"He wanted to collect you himself." Narcissa's voice filled the room. "However, I insisted that I should be the one." Narcissa let go of her and took a step back. Bellatrix could feel her sister's eyes taking her in and for a quick moment she swore she saw something in her eyes. It was pity. Bellatrix could feel rage building up inside herself. Her sister, precious - perfect Narcissa, dared stand before her and pity her.

"Don't look at me like that!" She shouted. She was visibly upset. Her eyes narrowed in defense.

She watched as her sister looked over her shoulder to the hall she had just come from as if she were in a hurry. "Bella, we don't have much time." Narcissa spoke, her voice audibly panicked. "He doesn't know if you're still alive or not." She continued.

"Leave, Bella. Leave this life." Bella's eyes widened with shock as her sister continued her ridiculous rant. "Look what your loyalty to him has done to you." Her sister looked over her again.

Narcissa began pacing the room, looking over her shoulder occasionally making sure no one was coming. "You can go away, start a life somewhere else. He would never be the wiser." It was at this point that Bellatrix began laughing crazily.

"Cissy, you can't be that stupid." she spoke through the laughter. "Do you honestly think, that I would ever leave his side or even want to?" She chuckled, shaking her head.

Seeing the surprise on her sister's face as Narcissa pacing came to a halt, Bellatrix's laugh abruptly stopped. Her sister actually thought that given the chance she would run. "Oh, dear sister, it appears you are that stupid." She began to circle Narcissa. "Don't worry, little sister. Your transgression this night will remain between us." She paused, standing before Narcissa. "I'd hate the Dark Lord to think less of me because some time in these fourteen years, you decided to become a blood traitor." The way she spoke those words made her sound somewhat insane. Bellatrix looked her sister up and down before side stepped her and began to walk towards what was left of the door.

"What happened to you, Bellatrix?" Her voice low. Bellatrix swore she even heard a hint of disdain in her voice - not that she cared. "What did he do to you that would have you suffer so much here and still go crawling to him like he was some kind of..."

That was it, Bellatrix had enough. She turned swiftly, closing the distance between them once more. "If you want to keep your tongue Cissy, I suggest you do not finish that sentence." Her words flowed like venom.

"You are bordering treason. Not that I expected any different, you did marry a coward after all." She looked at her sister with disgust. "How wonderful has your life been since my dearest brother in law renounced our Lord, pretending he was under the Imperius?" The question was rhetorical, for Bellatrix knew exactly how her precious sister's life had been. She could tell just by looking at how pristine her sister looked, standing before her now.

"You dare question my loyalty to our Lord? He's done more for me than you could ever imagine." She spat. "He came back for me! I'm important to him- his cause!"

'Oh Bella, why can't you see that he will never care for you the way you wish him to." She spoke, sadness in her voice. "He will use you and then once done, there will be nothing left."

Bellatrix stood unmoving as her eyes narrowed as she watched Narcissa.

"What happened to you?" Narcissa continued. "We were so close once."

Bellatrix stood quietly for a moment as if in deep thought. Turning she again began heading back towards the exit of her cell. She stopped just before reaching it, turned her head to the side and spoke just above a whisper. "That girl is gone. She was weak." She turned her attention back to the exit and resumed her leisurely pace out of the room. "Let's go Cissy, my master is waiting. We are going to have so much fun now that I'm back at his side." She laughed menacingly.

As Bellatrix exited the room, all that was left was rubble and a broken Narcissa. They say heartbreak is usually between two lovers. That isn't always the case. For that day, Narcissa's heart shattered for another reason. The loss of her sister. Not physically, no. However, any trace that was left of the person that Bellatrix was before she met the Dark Lord, was gone. She spent almost fourteen years worrying if Bellatrix was alive in this place or if all that was left of her were bones and dust. At that very moment Narcissa had one thought. Maybe, just maybe, her sister's death would have been better

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 **The writer would like to thank you for reading and reviewing this story! Hope you enjoy xx**


	13. Trial and Error

**Title: Trial and Error**

 **Pairing: Draco x Hermione**

 **Genre: Romance/Angst/Drama**

 **Writer: Anonymous at this time**

 **Summary: Secrets, deceit, and love. In the end, which will prevail?**

 **Thank you to KU aka KRiddle for your amazing help on this story!**

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

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 _Draco,_

 _There is nothing left for me here anymore. It is with a heavy heart that I write you this letter. Please know, there is nothing you could have done. You will forever be in my heart Draco, and I will cherish every moment that we had together. But I needed to let you go. Please go, find someone who can give you the love that I never could. This is the last thing I could do for you. I hope it gives you closure._

Draco tossed the note to the side and picked up the box she had left with it. He opened it to reveal a watch. Draco plucked the watch out of the box and held it close. The watch belonged to his father who had passed only a few months ago. The thoughts rolling in his head,

How did she find it? Why? What does this mean? Is she really gone? Where did she go?

The thoughts penetrated his mind and he felt hopeless. Flipping the table, he let out a distressed yell. Tears began pouring from his eyes. The anger pulsated through him and he had to do something - anything - to make it stop. Draco walked into the bedroom to see a perfectly made bed accompanied by an empty closet. He fell to his knees as the realization hit him. She's gone.

Draco desperately wished he could talk to his father, he would know what to do. His mother remained with him, so loyal through it all. Even when his father made terrible decisions, his mother still remained by his side. What had he done that was so terrible that she felt the need to leave? He needed to find her, he needed to fix this; there would be no exceptions.

She sat at The Three Broomsticks, tears silently streaming down her face. The waitress brought her mug after mug of coffee and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder with each trip. She wondered if Draco had read her note. She longed to be with him. Wiping more tears from her cheek, she reminded herself that she made this decision -a decision that was for the best. She and Draco would have never worked. She had a secret now, and it was a secret he could never know. If Draco ever found out, well, it wouldn't be good. It was for the best that she leave and stay away. He would move on and find someone good for him, someone to share books and laugh about mismatched socks with. The tears slowly came back and she became frustrated. She pulled out a mirror to blot her eyes. Draco? She turned to see him standing in the doorway, a look of heartbreak and angst placed on his face.

There she was. The girl he wanted for the rest of his life. She sat there with her mug of coffee, no less. She always drank coffee when she was stressed. He could see her hunched shoulders and miniscule swipes at her face, no doubt an attempt to wipe away her tears. Draco watched her as she pulled a mirror out of her bag. Their eyes met as she dropped the mirror to the table and spun around. Her wet eyes were ringed with mascara. Draco was frozen. He wanted to go to her, but as he looked at the distraught on her face - he couldn't move.

"Draco, what are you doing here? You look a mess," Luna mumbled.

"Excuse me Luna, but I'm here for her," Draco shrugged her off and made his way to the table.

Draco pulled the watch out of his pocket, "Why? Of all things, why?"

She shrugged and blinked the tears back, "I knew it was something you would want. Your father loved that watch. I spoke with your mother about it and she agreed that it would be wonderful for you to have it."

Draco sighed and pulled the note out of his coat, "What about this? Why this?"

She shrugged again, "It's for the best Draco, you'll see."

Draco choked back the tears, "No."

"Why are you here, Draco?"

"I love you. I want to know how I can fix this. Tell me what I can do."

"There's nothing you can do. Please, just leave."

"Damn it!" Draco escalated his voice, "Tell me what I can do. Please, I love you."

"There's nothing. Just go. I don't love you anymore."

Draco smacked his hand down on the table making her jump. "That's a damn lie and you and I both know it. Tell me the truth!" his voice thundered.

"Just go," she whispered.

"Hermione, please. I'll do anything. I can't lose you," Draco pleaded.

Hermione stood from her seat, placed some money on the table and smoothed back her hopeless hair, "Fine. If you won't leave, I will."

With that, Hermione walked out with a pleading Draco right on her heels. He grabbed her wrist,

"Hermione. You need to talk to me. I can tell you're hiding something from me. I don't know what it is - but whatever it is, we can work through it together. I promise I'm here for you."

She couldn't, she couldn't tell him the truth, so she lied. "There's someone else Draco. Someone I'd rather be with. Now please, let me go." She tugged her wrist out of his grasp.

"No Hermione, that's not true," his face fell. He took a step toward her, and she took a step back.

Hermione stuttered, "It's t-true Draco."

Draco could feel the heat rising to his face, "Mark my words Ms. Granger, I will find out whatever it is that you're hiding from me and I will solve the problem for you. I will find my way back into your heart. You say there is someone else - fine, I don't believe that for a second, but rest assured Hermione. No man - not a single one will stand in my way of being with you. I will fight for you. I will fight until I give my last breath, and should that day come, my last breath will be for you."

Draco turned and walked away fuming.

That's exactly what I'm afraid of, Hermione thought.

Draco sat, formulating a plot to win her back. Ideas blossoming in his head, he knew the first step. He had to get to Potter. Apparating to the edges of the Burrow, Draco brushed off his suit jacket as he made his way through the thick tumbleweeds until he reached the creaky porch. He knocked twice and could hear voices screeching through the air yelling for someone to get the door.

Draco turned the knob and poked his head in to see a bunch of commotion, "Figured I was pretty capable of opening the door myself."

Everyone in the Burrow stopped dead in their tracks and turned to give him a confusing look.

Draco acted as if this was a completely normal occurrence, "Is Potter here by chance?"

Nine different sets of hands all had one finger pointing directly up. Draco stepped all the way into the warm home and closed the door.

"Thanks," he remarked as he made his way to the winding stairs.

"Oi, Potter! You here?" Draco echoed.

Potter stuck his head out of his bedroom door, 'What in the bloody hell are you doing here, Malfoy?"

Draco sighed, "I need your help, Potter. It's important."

Draco left the Burrow feeling quite pleased with himself. Not only did he make that red-haired weasel feel uncomfortable, but Potter had some great insights. Draco apparated into town to buy a few essentials for his mission. Going store to store, Draco purchased everything he would need…. Including a beautiful red silk tie that he knew Hermione would appreciate later. He headed back to their home to prepare. Tomorrow he would get Granger back, she was his world, and he would succeed. He would go to any length to achieve his goal, it was his Slytherin nature. He knew she would resist, and he was counting on it.

I know she's hiding something. What could it be?

The possibilities rang throughout his mind. He'd never seen her look so afraid and hurt. As if the tears streaming down her face at the pub weren't enough, the fear that gleamed in her eyes when they met in the mirror was a giveaway that it was something major. He would know tomorrow, one way or another.

 **VALENTINE'S DAY**

Hermione rolled over in the bed and looked at the clock. It was barely even 6:00 am. Hermione had hardly gotten any sleep last night, after seeing Draco show at the Burrow and ask for Harry's help. She'd tried to overhear them, but the gits had placed a silencing charm on the room. Perhaps Draco knew she was there, and that's why he used the spell. Hermione shrugged the thought off and headed downstairs to help Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen. Hermione turned the corner into the kitchen and stopped short, everyone had their eyes on her, except Harry who was nowhere to be found.

Hermione cocked an eyebrow, "What's going on here?"

Hermione followed their eyes from her to the center of the table where a large box laid.

Hermione's words held a small tremble, "I imagine that's for me?"

They all nodded, even Fred and George had nothing to say.

"From Draco?" she asked as she uncomfortably wrapped her arms around herself.

She held herself tighter as they all nodded and took a few steps forward towards the table.

"Open it!" Ginny shouted.

"Shhhhh!" Fred and George exclaimed in unison.

Hermione picked up the box and walked towards the door with it, the entire family following her every move. She politely opened the Weasley's front door and tossed the box into the yard before casting a sparking charm on it.

She rubbed her hands together, smiled, and gently closed the door again.

"Would you like some help, Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione asked nonchalantly.

Everyone started moving again, frozen no more, as Molly laughed, "Oh dear, please, call me Molly or Mum. You're family too."

Ron snorted and Molly whipped at him with her dishrag. Hermione let out a nervous laugh.

She could see Ginny staring her down, just biding her time before she assaulted Hermione and demanded every detail. Hermione decided to just keep busy and forget that it was Valentine's Day, except for the fact that she was currently making heart-shaped pancakes alongside Mrs. Weasley. A single tear slid down Hermione's cheek. Before she ever even got the chance to wipe it away, she found herself being smothered by hugs. Hermione smiled at them, her gratitude reflecting in her brown eyes. They all released her and everyone went back to their activities, the tension already lessening in the atmosphere.

Draco was waiting for Harry to arrive and hoping he would have good news. Draco ran his hands through his thick hair, the stress was getting to him. He wasn't ready to lose Hermione. She was everything he had ever wanted in life and it took him so long to find her. Without her, he would be a shell of a man. He would be nothing.

That thought lingered in his mind until he saw Potter coming down the street. Draco stood up and waved him inside. The waitress immediately came over and offered him a drink.

"Bit early for drinking?" Potter laughed.

"Tell that to your friend here," the waitress retorted.

"Malfoy, what's up? How many have you had? You think this is what Hermione would want? You think she wants to see you this way? Do you think this will win her back? What in the bloody hell is wrong with you? Get a grip!" Harry sighed heavily.

Draco's eye narrowed, "Were you able to get it? I have everything planned. I'm counting on you. You're the final piece, Potter."

Harry's face held some reservations as he pulled a brown bag out of his pocket and tossed it onto the table. Draco swiped it from the table and peered inside.

Sighing in relief, "Potter, as much as it kills me to say this, thank you. You know what to do from here?"

Harry nodded., "I'll see you then."

Hermione watched Harry coming down the field. She heard the Burrow's front door open gently. Harry came up the steps to find her.

"I'm not going Harry," Hermione sighed, a tear threatening to spill over.

"Going where?" Harry asked casually.

"I'm not daft, Harry. I know you've been with him. I know how he is. He sent you to me to go find him, and I won't. As I told him, there is nothing there for me anymore," Hermione took a breath, "I didn't want to leave him. I had to, we aren't meant to be together. He would never understand. This is for the best. I love him, Harry. Every fiber of my being aches for his presence. I miss seeing his beautiful eyes peering into mine, the way he would pull me into his arms. The way he would look down into my eyes and smile, pushing the hair away from my eyes, gently leaning down to kiss me. He always wanted me to know he was about to kiss me so I would blush. He loved to watch my face flush. I miss him, Harry. I'm sorry for the long rant, but I miss him, and it would be far too easy to give in if I were to lay my eyes on him."

Harry nodded, "I understand. Hermione look, this guy cares a lot about you. I'm supposed to create some elaborate plan and get you to where he is. Hermione, he loves you. Trust me, he loves you. I can't and I won't make you go if you truly do not want to see him. I'm not sure what you're struggling with here, but it seems major and I'm betting that Draco would understand. He would do anything in the world for you. I think you should go if at least to give him an explanation. He's torturing himself over whatever is going on here. You should go, and if you can't, then okay. Send him an owl and be done with it. That's all I have to say on the matter."

Hermione bit her lip and looked up at her best friend, "When did you become so wise, Harry?"

Harry shrugged, "So what time shall we be leaving then?"

Hermione waited. The rain had dissipated and she was thankful. She began nervously shuffling around while waiting, running her hands down her black satin dress to seemingly smooth the material. Hermione looked up and froze. Draco was looking directly at her and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. Draco always had that effect on her. She looked at him, the breath stuck in her throat.

"You don't have to say anything Hermione. I can see the pain in your eyes. I don't know what I've done to warrant such a look, but I know we can fix it. I love you, Hermione, more than anything in this world. Even my family's name was not enough to keep me away from you. I would pour my heart and soul out to you every day for the rest of our lives if only it meant I got to keep you. Losing you is not something I want to do, and I will do whatever is necessary to keep you. You're my world, Hermione." Draco took Hermione's face into his hands and brushed her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. He brought his nose down to meet hers and closed his eyes tightly. "Hermione, I can't live in a world where you don't exist by my side. A world where I wake up and it's not your curly hair I see, a home that doesn't have a constant wafting scent of coffee. I don't want to be alive a single second without you. I can't go on without you. I will do whatever it takes. If you need me to be a better man, Hermione, I can do that. I can be whatever you need me to be. Just please don't tell me this is it. Don't say goodbye, please, don't leave me."

The tears collecting in Draco's eyes as he looked down at her. The tears already spilling from her eyes. She was nearly sobbing. She looked up at Draco and he could see the heartbreak and the fear in her eyes.

"Draco, before you tell me that you could do anything for me, I have something to tell you, and I don't think you will like it one bit," Hermione nervously looked up at him.

Hermione took Draco's hand and pulled it close to her. She pressed herself into him an relaxed in the warmth of his hug.

Draco pulled her in tighter and nuzzled her ear softly whispering, "what is it love? What must you tell me?"

Breathing slowly, she spoke, "I know who killed your father."

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

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 **The writer would like to thank you for reading and reviewing this story! Hope you enjoy xxx**


	14. One Love

**Story title: One Love**

 **Rating: T**

 **Genre: Drama/Angst**

 **Your Fanfic Penname AND Facebook name: Anonymous at this time**

 **Pairing: Theomione**

 **Summary: After years of being together, what happens when Theodore and Hermione hit a rough patch? Will they make it through the heartbreak, or will their relationship shatter like glass?**

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Beta love goes to KL aka KR! Thanks for everything boo xx**

* * *

 _What if the one true love's the only one that you get?_

 _ **—**_

Theodore apparated back to the flat in London, and placed his wand on the table upon entering. His window had been blown wide open, and there a letter sat amongst the mess on the countertop.

" _That bloody bird_ ," he said absentmindedly as he poured himself a glass of firewhiskey before proceeding to open the letter.

 _7th February_

 _Mr. Nott,_

 _Your presence is required at the Ministry of Magic exactly one week from now. More details will be provided the day of._

 _Thank you for your attention to this matter._

 _Sincerely,_

 _M. Timmings_

 _Ministry of Magic_

 _Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

 _Eighth Floor_

"Damn it!" Theo yelled, slamming his drink down on the table. He closed his eyes, but as soon as he did, all he could see were images of her. With each blink, a new image came to light. The first time he saw her. The first time they talked. The first time he made her laugh. The first time they kissed. The final image made his eyes crash shut again. He vowed he would never forget that moment, no matter how much she wanted him to.

 **oOoOo**

The first time he saw her was at Hogwarts, during their fourth year. She had gone to the Yule Ball with that foreign guy, Krum. Even thinking his name made Theo recoil in disgust _and_ jealousy. Sure, he had seen her throughout the halls of Hogwarts and in classes, but there was something about seeing her right then and there, with her hair all done and her pretty blue dress that made something stir deep inside him. It was in that moment, he knew _he_ had to have _her_ \- the moment he knew he would do _anything_ and _everything_ to make her _his_.

As the evening progressed on, he tried to approach the witch with little success. It was made more difficult by the fact his friends were around constantly, making fun of " _the mudblood_ ," as they liked to call her.

"Shut up, _Malfoy_ ," Theo stated firmly after the blond boy called her by _that_ name yet again.

"Oooh, Nott's got a thing for Granger," Malfoy started to tease, causing Draco's ever present shadows to join in on the taunting as well.

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do! I'm not blind, nor am I deaf. I can tell by the way you're looking at her. Not to mention you've never before tried to tell me off for calling her what she is. A _mudblood_."

"Sod off, Malfoy," Theo said, turning his back on his friends before walking out of the hall and back to the dorms in the dungeon. He laid in his bed for hours, thinking about ways he could win the witch over. Eventually, he fell asleep - with her on his mind.

 **oOoOo**

The next morning consisted of the usual routine - it took a little bit longer, because Theo _knew_ he would see Hermione at breakfast. "Okay, Theo. You're a Nott. You've got this. Talking to a Gryffindor is nothing. You've got this. _You've got this._ " It was unusual for Theo to give himself a morning pep talk, but these were special circumstances.

"Let's go, Nott!" he heard Malfoy call from the dorm room. " Stop your preening and let's get to breakfast. I'm bloody starving!"

"Calm down, I'm coming!" Theo called back. "Merlin, that boy has no patience," he said under his breath, quickly glancing in the mirror again, ensuring he looked pristine. Nothing less than the best would do if he was to impress Hermione.

"I heard that!" Malfoy called back. "You have thirty seconds or I'm leaving without you."

"Look, I'm here," Theo relayed as he emerged from the bathroom. "No need to get your knickers in a twist."

"Well, come on then. Before Crabbe and Goyle eat the entire table, benches and all."

The two boys left the dorm, and headed up from the dungeons to meet their classmates in the Great Hall. As they entered, Theo glanced over to his right. His gaze immediately landed on Hermione, who was looking normal again, but Theo's heart was still set on the witch. "I'll catch up with you, Malfoy. There's something I need to do first."

"Whatever, mate," Malfoy said distractedly as he started towards the Slytherin table. Watching his friend walk away, Theo took a deep breath before turning and walking over to where the Gryffindors sat. As he walked, he could feel eyes turning towards him, and he heard the Great Hall start to quiet. By the time he reached her, it felt to Theo like every single person in the room was watching him, although all he could hear was his heart pounding in his ears.

"Granger," he squeaked, and cleared his throat. "I mean, Granger. Could I talk to you for a moment? Alone?"

"I don't know, Nott," the witch replied.

"Please. I _just_ need to ask you - a question about a potions recipe!" Theo grinned, proud of himself for coming up with this so quickly.

"Back off, Nott. 'Mione doesn't want to go with you. Do you?" he heard Weasley say, as the grin faded off of his face.

"Shut up, Ron! I can make my own decisions! Yes, Nott, I'll go with you," she stated firmly, rising to walk away, all while staring daggers at Weasley. Theo couldn't help but chuckle softly at the ginger boy, whilst still ensuring Hermione didn't see him, lest he be on the receiving end of her glare.

There was an awkward silence between the two as they walked together out of the Great Hall. Once they were out in the open, Hermione turned on her heel to face him. "Okay, Nott. What do you want?" she asked.

"Well," he started nervously, "I would like to propose…"

" _You'd like to what?!_ " Hermione interrupted.

Theo chuckled. "Let me finish, would you?" Hermione nodded, slightly embarrassed by her outburst. "I would like to propose a date. How about the next trip to Hogsmeade? I believe it's set for two weeks from now."

Hermione mulled over it for a moment. "I suppose that could work," she said after what seemed like an eternity.

Theo released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Great. Great. So, I'll meet you at the Grand Entrance, two weeks from now. Great." He quickly kissed her on the cheek and bounded away, leaving her standing there in shock. It took him a moment to realize the magnitude of what he'd done, and when he did, he immediately halted, and slowly turned to look at her. As soon as their eyes met, they both burst into laughter.

"I'm so sorry," Theo breathed between laughs. "I wasn't thinking."

Hermione paused as she caught her breath. "You're okay," she said finally. " _We'll_ _consider it practice for our date._ " She cocked an eyebrow and sauntered off, leaving Theo breathless once again.

 **oOoOo**

The two weeks dragged by, or at least it seemed like it to Theo. During class, his thoughts kept drifting off to Hermione. He'd never daydreamed in class before - or, at least, he'd never been caught.

Finally, Saturday arrived. Today was the day. Theo woke up early and styled his hair three times before declaring it as perfect. Glancing at the silver watch he wore on his wrist, he groaned once he realized it was still only eight a.m. There were still six hours to go until he could _finally_ go on his date.

Sighing, he trudged up the stairs alone, headed towards the Great Hall for breakfast. Draco liked to sleep in the weekends, so Theo had gotten used to sleeping until nine or ten, meaning breakfast was almost over and the hall cleared out by the time they made it up there. Today, however, meant Theo would crash into Hermione - literally, crash into her, causing her to spill the pumpkin juice she'd gotten from the other end of the Gryffindor table.

"Bloody hell! Watch where you're going!" she exclaimed without looking up, instead dabbing at her t-shirt, trying to clean up the juice before it stained her clothing.

"I apologize," he said, his voice causing her to finally look up, turning a bright red when she realized who it was she'd been yelling at.

" _Theo_! I mean, Nott! I'm so sorry; I didn't realize it was you!"

"I figured," he said, trying to stifle a grin and failing.

"Well. Anyways. I better go change into something a bit nicer for this afternoon. I'm really looking forward to it." With that, she waved and headed off toward the Gryffindor's tower.

Theo turned back toward the Slytherin table, grinning and shaking his head. An imposing figure stopped him in his tracks, and suddenly he was eye to eye with Viktor Krum.

"Vat do you think you are doing?" the Bulgarian asked him with the sound of a threat in his voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Vith Hermy-own. Vat are you doing? She is mine."

"She's not _yours_. She's not _anyone's_. _Not yet, anyways,_ " Theo said with annoyance as he tried to push past the burly Seeker.

"Back off. Or I promise, you vill regret it." Krum turned and walked away, leaving Theo standing there, more determined than ever to make Hermione his.

 **oOoOo**

"So, what did you have planned for us then?" Hermione questioned as they walked together into Hogsmeade.

"I was thinking just hanging out - walking around, maybe checking out the bookstore…"

"I love it. Let's go there first!" Hermione exclaimed as she grabbed Theo's hand and dragged him off in the direction of the shops.

Theo laughed as she pulled him through the crowds that had already gathered in front of Honeydukes. It had taken them less than five minutes to make it here, as she was like a dog after a ball when it came to her books.

"Out of the way, people! We have an important date," she yelled at the crowds as she turned around and winked at the Slytherin boy whose hand she was still holding. Theo's heart started to beat twice as fast as usual. _How could it not_ , he thought, _with_ _a girl like her on the other end?_

Little did Theo know, soon his heart would be pounding out his chest as the day came to a close and their lips came together. Like fire meeting ice, they melted into each other as the crowds rushed around them.

 **oOoOo**

The last three years at Hogwarts had turned out better than Theo could have ever imagined. He had captured the witch, heart and soul. They had had their fights, sure, but they always made up in the end. As they lay in bed Valentine's Day morning, fingers intertwined, Theo knew what he had to do.

"Hermione, marry me. Make me the luckiest man in the world."

"Theo, couples our age don't get married. It's just not normal," Hermione said with a laugh.

Theo got out of the bed and down on his knee. "So what? I'm not normal. What I feel for you definitely isn't normal. I love you, Hermione, and, to be honest, I don't want to be not normal with anyone _but_ you," he stated simply. " _So, I ask again - will you marry me?"_

"What about your friends? What about your father? What will they think?" Hermione threw the questions at him like bullets as she tossed the blanket off of her and rose to a sitting position. "We're only seventeen, for Merlin's sake!"

"I know how old we are, Hermione. And I know what they might think. But I don't care. I think our relationship can pass the test of time. In fact, I know it can. _Please_ , _just say yes_. My leg is starting to fall asleep."

"Okay, okay, yes! Yes!" Hermione squealed as Theo stood up and spun her around, kissing her deeply.

As he put her down, Theo told her, "I don't have a ring yet, but I'll be able to get you one on the next Hogsmeade trip. I promise."

"I don't need a ring," she stated simply. Hermione had never been one for material things, but Theo knew she was just saying that. He knew she had always wanted a ring - she had told him as much in their sixth year.

"Yes, love. I know." He also knew the best way to avoid an argument about something was just to agree. With the help of his inheritance, he would get her the most beautiful ring he could find. "Let's go get some breakfast."

Hermione hesitated. Theo immediately knew why. "We don't have to tell anyone yet. I promise. _It can be our little secret for now._ " He knew her friends still didn't agree with her dating a Slytherin, no matter how much they had both tried to change their minds. The snakes weren't much better, but at least they didn't say anything to her face about it. No, they had left that until Theo was alone. However, they were starting to accept the brash Gryffindor as one of their own, although it was moving along about as quickly as molasses dripping from a spoon.

With his assurance, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, let's go." She grabbed his hand and let him lead her out of the dorm, knowing that Theo knew his fiancée well, and he was determined to give her everything she wanted, needed, and more.

 **oOoOo**

"I don't know what you want from me anymore, Theo!" Hermione cried.

"It's simple, Hermione! You, us, the way we were!" Theo shouted in return. The entire week had been them bickering, with nothing to show for it save for a couple of breaking hearts.

It had been five years since they graduated from Hogwarts, three since they'd gotten married, and two since they had welcomed their son, Tobias. The years had not gotten easier, and many times, Theo had woken to find the other half of the bed empty, his wife sitting on the cushion in her reading nook, staring out the window. The night of that fight was no different.

"Just...come back to bed. Please, love." His voice sounded strange as the words caught in his throat.

Hermione turned to look at him, and the tears in her golden brown eyes reflected in the moonlight. The pity in her eyes was evident as she turned away and put her head on her knees to stare out into darkness once again.

As the weeks turned into months, Hermione started taking Tobias and spending more and more time away from their flat. Theo had turned to drinking to cope with his loss, but the silhouette of her presence was an ever-present shadow in his life.

On the really bad nights, Theo could swear she had returned, but as he stumbled towards her, all he was able to grasp onto was air.

 **oOoOo**

 **14th February**

 _Mr. Nott,_

 _Please ensure that you are at the Ministry of Magic no later than two p.m. today. You will be required to go to the courtrooms, where a counsellor will meet you. The purpose of this meeting will be made available to you then._

 _Thank you for your attention to this matter._

 _M. Timmings_

 _Ministry of Magic_

 _Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

 _Eighth Floor_

Theo groaned. He had forgotten about this. Glancing at the golden watch on his wrist, the one Hermione had given him for his seventeenth birthday, he saw it was currently ten thirty. "Crap!" he yelled. He had less than four hours to make himself presentable and wash the stench of the firewhiskey off of his skin and out of his hair.

Luckily, being a Nott, and a former member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, Theo was well prepared for such an event. In his youth, there were many occasions where he had to dress up and play the part, so to speak. This time would be no different. After a quick shower, he accio'd his best suit to him - the one that got him out of all kinds of trouble...especially trouble with Hermione. He dressed swiftly and checked his watch again. It was only eleven, meaning he still had three hours left before he was due to be at the Ministry. However, he knew Hermione, probably better than she knew herself, and he knew she would be early to arrive. He wanted to beat her to the punch. She claimed he was late to everything. This was one thing he wouldn't dare be late for.

He took the floo to the Ministry, knowing the building had anti-apparition laws in place for "outsiders." Upon his arrival, Theo waltzed over to the security desk and handed his wand to the watchwizard sitting there, who placed it on the wand weigher - standard protocol for those who were visiting. As he waited for his wand to pass through the standard tests, his mind started to drift off towards memories of Hermione again. Before those memories could take him beyond the point of no return, however, the wizard - Thomas, Theodore noticed - handed him back his wand and pointed him in the direction of the elevators before turning back to help the witch who had lined up after Theo. Theo slowly started to walk over to the elevators, his heart sinking lower with each leaden step as the nervousness started to form a ball in the pit of his stomach.

After arriving in the atrium, Theo's heart started to pound as he waited for the elevator that would take him down to the eighth floor. He didn't hear the ding of the elevator over the sound of blood throbbing in his ears; the bustling of people around him was his only clue that anything had changed. Quickly, he got on the elevator, and stood amongst the people going about their daily business. Theo glanced around nervously. " _Does anyone know why I'm here? Is that lady staring at me?_ " The thoughts continued to rush around in his head as the elevator doors opened to allow the patrons to get off at the eighth floor. Spotting another security desk, Theo headed over to get directions to Timmings' office.

"Go down the hall, turn right, then left, then left again, then right, and it'll be the third door on your right." the nasally witch informed him. As he headed through the maze, his only thoughts were of Hermione and Tobias. As he approached the final turn, he heard them. The melodic sound of her laughter; the shrillness of his. Turning the corner, he saw them, and it seemed like everything went in slow motion as she bounced the child up and down, both grinning with delight. However, things sped back to reality as Theo noticed the flash of orange that appeared next to her. His vision turned red as Fred freaking Weasley whispered to Hermione and her head shot in his direction, eyes narrowing.

Theo felt his heart crack a bit at the hatred in her eyes. "Theodore," she spat, her voice turning the word to venom, causing him to recoil.

"Hello Hermione," he replied simply. "Hello, Tobias!" Theo said, bending down to be closer to the toddler's height. "How's _my boy_?" he cooed, his eyes darting up to look at Fred, standing there with arm possessively draped over Hermione's shoulder.

"You're early." Hermione stated dully, her voice giving the impression that she couldn't give two damns about him.

"I am. This is an important day." Theo retorted. His entire game plan relied on winning her back, so he could not and would not take an attitude with her - not today.

"Well. I think Madeline might be ready for us. Her earlier appointment had to cancel."

"Let's go, then."

"Fred, darling, are you okay to wait with Tobias? I would rather he not have to see this."

"Of course, dear. That's fine." Fred responded, leaning over to give Hermione a quick peck on the lips, a move which had Theo clenching his fists and biting his tongue.

Hermione smiled lovingly at the ginger haired wizard and turned her head to scowl at Theo before spinning on her heel and knocking at the door. A pretty blonde witch opened the door and ushered them inside.

"Take a seat, take a seat," she said, gesturing at the spot in front of her desk as the two chairs appeared. As the two former lovers took their seats, she grabbed a quill and sat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk. "So - why are we here today?"

Hermione spoke up quickly. "I would like a divorce."

Theo did a double take. "You _what_?"

"You heard me."

"I thought this was going to be about...well, I don't know what I thought. But it definitely was _not this."_

"What did you think when I walked in here with Fred?! Was that not enough of a hint for you?!" Hermione exclaimed shrilly.

"Why, Hermione? Just tell me... _why_?" he asked quietly.

Hermione sighed. "Theo. The drinking. The staying out until all hours partying with Draco. We have a child. I couldn't take it anymore. I _can't_ take it anymore. I just can't," she said, her voice breaking as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hermione," Theo stated as the tears flowed freely down his face as well. "I've been broken, but I'm getting better. Everyday, I'm getting better. I've stopped the drinking. I've stopped the partying. Please, just, come _home_."

"I can't, Theo. I'm sorry. But I can't. Over the past seven years, you've given me no reason to believe you can change, let alone that you would."

Finally, Madeline spoke up. "Well. I see we have a bit of a dilemma here. However, from what I've heard here, and the personal letter Ms. Granger sent in beforehand, I see no reason to deny her request. Now. Ms. Granger, if you'll sign here," she said handing the quill to Hermione, who quickly signed off on the document. "And Mr. Nott, here." Looking down at the sheet of parchment before him, he saw a glowing blue "X".

"What exactly am I signing?" Theo asked, his heart in his throat.

"Well, by signing this document, the bond of marriage will be broken between the two of you."

"And what of Tobias?" he replied.

"Ms. Granger has stated that you may have one pre-scheduled visit per week, and every other weekend, you may have him for two nights, all unsupervised. Holidays are to be decided between the two of you as they approach, however, if there are conflicts, Ms. Granger reserves the right to make the final decision."

Theo glanced down at the document again, the blue glowing more insistent this time. "And this is really what you want?" he asked, turning to Hermione.

"It is."

"Okay then." Theo said dejectedly, turning the quill over in his hand before placing the tip of the quill to the parchment and signing his name.

"Well, that's everything. If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to write," Timmings said as she gathered up papers and headed out the door.

"Thank you." Hermione said, gathering her things and turning to leave. Theo watched as she headed out the door. He watched as she reached for Tobias, smiling at the young boy. He watched as the love of his life walked away. He watched until she turned the corner, and it was only then that he broke down, dropping to his knees and sobbing in the hallway as his heart shattered into a million pieces.

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 **The writer would like to thank you for reading and reviewing this story! Hope you enjoy xxx**


	15. Cracking Foundations

**Title: Cracking Foundation**

 **Rating: T**

 **Pairing: Draco/Hermione Hermione/Pike**

 **Characters: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Pike**

 **Genre: Romance, Angst, Mystery, Drama**

 **Penname/Facebook Name: Anonymous at this time**

 **Summary: Hermione is heartbroken after Octavius Pike leaves her in the dark, Draco Malfoy comes in to help. What will happen? Will there be more heartbreak? Will they find love?**

 **Beta/Alpha love goes to the AMAZING SS! Who is forever supporting and encouraging me and turns my messy thoughts into something beautiful! Thank you so much for all you do for me boo xxx**

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

 _'I'm sorry Hermione I just can't be in this anymore, I don't think I feel the same way.'_ These words were reverberating through her thoughts as the tears leaked down her face. Octavius had been the only one she had been able to connect with after so much suffering - finding solace in one another. But now he was gone, and she found herself left alone in the cold, dark manor by herself. She had moved into the Order's Safehouse months ago and only a few were privy to where it was located. She preferred it that way, finding these days of solitude eased the loneliness and helped soothe her still fresh open wounds.

Her parents were lost to her, the memory charm having been impossible to reverse. Healers had been attempting for months with no progress, had giving up and returning them to their lives in Western Australia. Their life _without_ her. Hermione was given the bad news mere hours after Octavius had delivered his blow to her. It was then she had withdrawn from everyone, recoiling if anyone tried to draw her back out, and sending them away. There were only a few people allowed near her: Remus and Tonks, Sirius, Harry, Ron, Ginny and to everyone's surprise, Draco Malfoy.

Draco had become her rock to lean on, bringing meals late at night to ensure she was still looking after herself. Truth be told she hadn't. After the news of her parents, she had lost all hope of her family being reunited or being whole again. She had lost all motivation after Octavius had left her in the dumps. Her entire world had come crashing down -all save for Draco.

She had taken long service leave off of work, not wanting to see people and their happy families. She felt it was better she stay inside and away, only having her few close friends visit her here, away from the outside world.

"Hermione, come on, you can't stay here forever." His gravelly voice came from behind her and she heard his footsteps falling and getting closer. She turned and looked into his grey eyes and felt herself relax for the first time in what felt like days. He was the only one that wouldn't mollycoddle her and he would tell her how it was. She needed him more than even she wanted to admit. It was going to be a long road to being able to face the world again.

Maybe one day she would come across a cure for memory charms, but until then she would accept the loneliness as punishment for what she had done to her parents. An act to keep them less vulnerable for attack only amplified her own vulnerability. Erasing someone's memories was deplorable. The only reason she wasn't in Azkaban rotting away was that she was a known war hero, and no one wanted to go against Harry Potter - The Chosen one; the saviour of both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. He had publicly said she was his sister and that was the day she became _untouchable_.

It seemed crazy to think those would turn a blind eye for the sheer fact of who she associated with. Octavius saw through this. He didn't pity or excuse her actions. He accepted them because of who she was - not of the company she kept. That was, until, he left her. Everyone leaves eventually

 **oOo**

Draco knew the only way to get Hermione back to herself was to take her out and force her to interact with actual people. So, he told her to get dressed and he would come over shortly. When he arrived at the manor, she was waiting in the den. To him, she looked absolutely gorgeous in her emerald green dress that fell just above her knees, exposing her skin. Though paler than her days before her self proclaimed isolation, her skin was smooth. She had matching heels and a clutch like the beaded bag she usually carried around.

Draco looked her up and down several times to take it all in and get his thoughts together before crossing the room and laying a light kiss on each cheek. "You look absolutely gorgeous, Hermione."

"Thank you." She said looking down at her feet. As she brought her eyes back up to meet him, she seemed to take in his black dress pants and navy blue business shirt. "You don't look half bad yourself, Draco."

Smiling at one another, Draco offered Hermione his arm. Once she had accepted, and was completely in his hold, he apparated them into an alley. He casually led her through the cobbled streets to a restaurant that she had never been before. She didn't even know most of this section of the wizard town was there if she was being honest, and she had been there a lot in the last ten years. It was strange how even after all this time things could still surprise her, but these days, _everything_ was a surprise to her - especially the wizard who was currently on her arm. He had changed so much over the years since the war ended.

"I have a reservation for two under Malfoy." Draco spoke to the young waitress, who was looking him up and down like she wouldn't mind having him for a meal.

"Right this way, Mr Malfoy." They followed her through the exclusive restaurant and Hermione noticed mostly couples sitting at the tables, hoping Draco wasn't expecting more of this evening than she was willing to give. It was her first outing after Octavius had left her and she was still not her best. It was still a struggle to get out of bed let alone come out in public like this.

Hermione's inner dialogue was interrupted by Draco nudging her, whilst he held out her chair waiting for her to be seated. Shaking herself off she sat down, thanking him.

"Do you mind if I order for us? There's only one meal here you really want to experience." Hermione nodded, accepting his request silently. "We will have two of the chef's special pasta dish served with your best bottle of Sangiovese red."

Hermione remembered from her parents' dinner parties that the Sangiovese red was served with creamy pastas.

"So a cream based pasta?"

"How'd you know that?" His face showed surprise.

"My parents," Hermione paused, her eyes half closed as her mind painted the picture of the memory, "They would always tell me about their dishes and wines when they hosted guests. I think I managed to know the entire do's and don'ts for matching wines by the age of nine." Her eyes sparkled under the lighting of the restaurant; a warm pastime turned cold with regrets. Draco reached his hand onto hers, squeezing as if he knew she was struggling. His touch simmered the emotions to a tolerable level, and she couldn't have been more grateful for the simple gesture.

"My parents used to do the same. One more thing we have in common." He said in a soft tone.

Hermione smiled at him and then pulled her eyes to try and escape his gaze. She saw the waitress coming back with two bowls and someone following behind with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

Draco directed them to let her taste the wine and a small amount was poured in her glass. Taking a sip and swishing it around in her mouth, she let it sit on her tongue and seep in. She relished the taste of a slight plum flavour added in with the grapes. "It's perfect, thank you."

Hermione took the first bite of her dish and moaned in delight. The food was exquisite - not too creamy and not too heavy. They were silent during their meal, both having been brought up with the belief that a meal was more important with manners than talking was. When both had finished and had more wine than they should have, the waitress came back to check on them..

"Can we please get the cheque?"

Hermione hoped he would allow her to just return home. She had enjoyed the night, but it was getting to be a bit much, she hadn't been out this long in weeks after all.

After he had signed for the money to come out of his vaults, he stood and came around to her to help her out of her chair, "Time for home?"

Hermione nodded, thankful he knew she had enough of being out and was considerate enough to think of her. He took her back through the alleys to the apparition point, and she didn't mind that he had a hold of her arm and took control. Arriving home, he escorted her to the door and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you for coming out with me tonight but I think it's time I go home so I can be up early for work tomorrow. I hope you had a good night."

Hermione nodded, "It was perfect. Thank you, you know, for forcing me out. Have a good rest of your night."

Draco lingered for her to go into the house and waited until he heard the lock before apparating away to his house. Collapsing on his bed he smiled, he had gotten her out of the house and given her a fun night. The night was a success in his mind.

 **oOo**

Since that night, Draco had managed to coerce Hermione into leaving the manor more often, slowly. They were walking through Diagon Alley when it happened - she looked across the street as they exited and saw the last person she ever wanted to see, and he looked good. _Too good_.

Pulling on Draco's sleeve, she directed him back into the store. She was tense, and he gave her a confused face as he looked out the store window. "Oh."

"Yes, _OH_ , lets hide in here until he moves further through the alley."

"I'm sorry, I didn't think he would be out today. He said he was quite busy when I asked if he wanted to grab a drink." Draco said, looking at her with pity.

"Please don't look at me like that. I'm not to be pitied. I just don't want to see him at the moment."

Hermione peered out the window and groaned. He was standing directly outside of the shop as if he was looking for something or _someone_. What if he had seen her?

Draco decided he would walk out and talk to him so he could get Octavius far away from Hermione. Her face had fallen as soon as she had seen him and this was meant to be a fun day to get her out of her funk not put her further into her depressive state.

Not long after he went out of the store, Draco reentered smiling, a clueless Octavius walking away down the alley. "There, now let's finish our shopping and head home so you can relax."

Hermione had never been more grateful to Draco than she had in that moment.

 **oOo**

Draco walked into the safe house with the Chinese he had picked up on request. Hermione seemed to be better each time he came and visited. She still hadn't gone back to work, but he felt with all she had done during the war and she had been put through since was enough to send most into a mental ward.

Harry had said the last time he had visited he had been able to convince her to go and sit on the back loveseat and stay in the sun for a few hours and that she seemed to have perked up a bit since they had been going out on small trips. When they had seen Octavius Pike, Draco had feared she would fall back into her pit, but she had been remaining strong and seemed to be enjoying the little things again.

Movie night every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday seemed to have helped her a lot and she had started to laugh again… it may have been at the slightly sad moments, but it _was_ progress. Draco was willing to stick with her through everything - she had been the one that had kept him out of Azkaban when they had first started the trials.

Walking around the house he tried to find Hermione, but she was not in most of the rooms they usually occupied, calling out "Hermione," he waited to hear her voice float down from upstairs and followed it until he found an open door at the end of the hallway. Walking in he found why she hadn't heard him enter - it was a library.

The only place he knew she could relax. Smiling, he summoned some pillows and some cutlery and sat the meal and drinks down gesturing for her to join. He didn't see the need for her to go down stairs when she would only be lost in thought about the books up here.

"Dig in and then we can explore more, you cretin," he stated as he saw her bouncing in place trying to contain her excitement about the many old tomes that had been collected by the Order. Hermione slowly ate her food, her eyes flicking around the room and Draco smirked - she was funny and predictable around books.

They ate and started to slowly look through the library. Draco wondered if there was a way to remove the mark somewhere hidden in this expansive room. It surely had an undetectable extension charm on it as from the outside of the house, this room wouldn't fit. It looked as if it went back for miles and there were _thousands_ of books waiting for them to explore and learn all that they could.

Draco looked at the serene look that came over Hermione as she got lost in a book and knew he was going to make sure that look stayed on her face. She was the only one from the opposing side of the war, besides Harry, that had fully forgiven him. He didn't want to lose either of them.

After a time, Draco made his leave. Lately he had found himself with his own reading, studying up on how to perfect a potion that reverse the effects of memory loss. It began as a personal assignment he gave himself for the order, but it became more personal once his relationship with Hermione progressed. He wouldn't stop until it was a reality.

 **oOo**

Draco had owled her the next morning and told her to be ready for lunch out. He was taking her somewhere she had never been before that he loved. Hermione looked down at the outfit she had picked and questioned whether or not it was too casual and whether it would send signals to Draco that she would rather not send.

She wasn't ready for a relationship after everything she had been through with Octavius, but she knew she had to start opening her mind to the idea again, and she couldn't let herself waste away inside over a man. It wasn't how she was built and it wasn't how her parents had raised her either. So with time, she allowed Draco to have his moments where he thought he was forcing her out, but she had actually started to look forward to their outings.

There was a knock at the door as she put the finishing touches on her hair and she quickly crossed the room to open and let him out of the cold. He was in a navy blue three piece suit with a nice, thick overcoat and scarf to match. She had picked right with her clothes, not too casual and not too formal. He smiled down at her and gestured for her to head out to the waiting town car before him.

"You look beautiful, Hermione," he said as he opened the back door of the car for her with a smile.

She slid across the car, "Thank you, Draco, you don't look so bad yourself. Now are you going to tell me where we are going?"

"No, I'm going to leave it as a surprise. That's _half_ the fun of taking people out." He allowed a slight chuckle to leak from his lips at the end of his sentence.

Rolling her eyes, she looked out the window as the car took off. Buildings flashed past as they started to drive through London and it wasn't until they started to head out of the city that she questioned whether it was a good idea to let him take control again. Maybe she should start picking the places they went - she'd feel more comfortable being the one in control.

They were driving a good thirty minutes in silence, Draco madly texting on his phone and Hermione watching the city dwindle into nothing and the open fields as far as the eye could see. Then they started to slow and the driver turned off onto a narrow, dirt road.

They weren't on the road long before a large farmhouse appeared and a sign proclaiming it to be farmer's restaurant. It had Hermione smiling - these types of places were one of her favourites. It looked to be slightly more upper class than the ones she had previously been to, but nonetheless it was going to be something she loved. Draco got out of the car and walked around the back, stopping to open the door for her and reaching his hand in to help her out of the car. The small heels of her shoes sunk into the ground slightly and it was hard to walk across to the wrap around veranda, but with Draco's help they were soon being seated inside where couples and families sat enjoying their weekend getaway from the city.

Draco declined the menus and told the waitress that they would have the shepherds pie and a glass of red to go with it. She smiled at them and walked off.

"It's a nice little restaurant they set up a few years ago, a magical couple own and run it but they cater to muggles as well, the barn out the back was converted to a hostel and then down the way a bit is another hostel for those who can't afford to rent anywhere in the city or are homeless."

"Oh that's wonderful that they take care of the poor as well, I love helping places like this. Mum and Dad used to take me to them all the time when I was younger and we would help the owners feed the homeless." Hermione said.

"Harry told me, I thought I'd show you there's something like that close by so you can occasionally escape if you need." Draco's voice was softer than usual and it endeared him to Hermione. Flashing back to all the times her mother used to cook that very dish, she looked at Draco in a new light. It was one of her favourites and always reminded her of home, how was it that he picked the exact dish she felt like she needed in that moment?

"Thank you Draco" she smiled and saw the waitress coming back with two plates and an older man coming with the wine, Draco had requested.

Throughout the meal they remained silent, simply enjoying the others company and meal and it wasn't too much after they had cleared their plates that Draco apologised that they had to leave but he had some things to do at his office and they couldn't wait until the next day.

The drive to the safe house seemed to take much less time and Hermione suddenly found herself wishing they could have stayed out longer it had been a fun time.

Draco lingered only a moment, pecking her on the cheek as he took her to the door and then it was just her again and in the silence the weight of her grief over her parents and heartbreak from Octavius came crashing down upon her as it did whenever she was alone. Would it always hurt this much? She certainly hoped not soon she would have to get back to life and she couldn't be worrying about what she would feel when she was alone when she did return to work.

 **oOo**

Hermione had called Draco and asked if they could go out for the first time since the last Valentines Day and she felt like she was finally making progress, her mood had improved slowly over the months and Draco had been a big factor in that progress so he was who she called for whenever she needed company or she wanted to go out. He was her knight in shining armour.

He was due in any moment and then they were going to Hogsmeade and seeing the new stationary store that had opened up. It was a perfect day to walk through the old village.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts and pushed her to getting ready faster. "Come in" she shouted.

As she slipped on her last shoe, Draco entered the room and looked at her with awe in his eyes. She looked down at her feet and then pushed him toward the Floo Network so they could get going and not explore what that look was about. She wasn't ready for that yet.

When they exited the fire into the Three Broomsticks, Hermione didn't expect to come straight into Octavius' strong arms. Why did he have to be there at that moment?

"Hermione! How are you?" He said.

Shocked to see him she simply stared up at him until he shook her slightly, "Oh, Hi Octavius, I'm good. How are you?"

"I've been better, I've missed talking to you."

Draco cleared his throat and a scowl was spread across his features. Hermione had completely forgotten he was there in that moment. It was being in Octavius' arms again, she loved the safe feeling that overcame her when he would touch her.

"Hi Draco, how are you?"

"I'd be better if I wasn't here, you were the one that dumped her, and you miss her?" Hermione was shocked that he would be so forward and defensive.

"People can miss people, Draco and Hermione has always been important to me."

Hermione's head spun back to look at him, why would he say that? He was the one that left her in the dark.

He looked down at her and the frown that he had when he was looking at Draco shifted into a smile. In that moment anything could happen and Hermione would be happy and it was strange that it was the person who broke her heart that helped it go back together. She wasn't going back to him obviously but it would be good to hang around and chat with him again.

She knew she was an idiot but he was her first love and even if they weren't together they could be friends. With seeing Octavius and actually talking to him she didn't want to go to the stationary store anymore all she wanted to do was go home and think about things.

Could she really bring him back into her life?

 **oOo**

Hermione was straightening the bush she called hair when her phone started ringing. Placing the straightener down on the vanity, she ran out to the den and picked up without checking the caller id, assuming it was Draco or Harry calling to check in.

"Happy birthday, Hermione." The deep, growl came over the line.

"Hello Octavius." Hermione's voice hitched slightly, breathless. She blamed the reaction on the swift strides to the phone and _not_ the smooth, collected voice on the other end of her phone

"How was your day? I wanted to call earlier, but assumed you would be out."

"Oh, it was relaxing," she made her tone stronger than she actually felt inside. "I spent a spa day with Ginny and now I'm getting ready for a dinner with Harry and Draco."

There was a pause on the other end, "Oh, so you're still spending a lot of time with Draco then?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Octavius?" Hermione said with her mood suddenly crashing. _Why did he have to do this on her birthday?_

"Oh nothing.. I was just curious as to what you two have been doing?"

Hermione was baffled as to why he wanted to know, but she humored him anyway, "We are simply hanging out, Pike. He helped me a lot back when needed a friend the most. You know, since you left so abruptly."

Being blunt about the subject was the only way to get Octavius to be honest about how he was feeling - it was always his way.

"I really am sorry about leaving you like that, love. I never felt you deserved the reputation my family had come by." He sighed at the end of his sentence.

Hermione's breath failed her, his words not truly satisfying the remnants of her heart in her chest. Octavius failed to see the pain he caused by his actions. The very actions he claimed to protect her from. "I know that, Octavius. But I needed you. You worried over my reputation but that wasn't what was in peril. I would have dealt with anything as long as it meant being with you."

"I know that now, Hermione. Can we please start over? Friends?" He said with a hopeful note to his voice.

"Okay, Octavius. But let's take this slow."

They managed to talk for a bit longer until Harry came into the house, pushing her into finish getting ready. Hanging up, she rushed around madly, getting ready and followed Harry to the restaurant Draco had taken her to the last time. Octavius remained in her thoughts the whole evening and Draco kept questioning on why she was distracted.

Making her excuses to avoid further probing, she pretended she was interested for the rest of the night. They wouldn't like it if they knew who she was on the phone to.

Near the end of dinner, Ron joined them, sitting down for the birthday cake. He always had the perfect timing in terms of food. They laughed about old school memories and Hermione relaxed, Octavius leaving her mind again as she enjoyed the rest of the night.

 **oOo**

One Thursday morning when Hermione was meant to start backe fulltime at work, she had called in sick and stayed home. It was starting to get overwhelming - both Draco and Octavius were continuously hanging around her office.

In the beginning it was good to have them both there. But now, it only confused the hell out of her. She was starting to see Draco in a different light to when they had first become friends and Octavius was just confusing her heart. They were both there always showing her who she should choose but her mind and heart were at war.

In her mind Draco definitely deserved a chance and he had been there for her through so much, always lending an ear or shoulder when she wanted to cry or telling her to get up and out of the house when he thought she had spent too much time inside.

Whereas, her heart still jumped a beat when Octavius entered a room or he called her to see how her day had gone.

It was all getting too complicated and she couldn't keep it up she'd have to decide soon so she didn't lead one of them on and then have to break their heart. She wasn't that type of person at all.

They however didn't see that they weren't making her choice easy, they were both really sweet and went out of their way to do things.

Like the other day, Draco had gone to the other side of London to get her favourite cake for lunch as they had found her lunch had been taken out of the cool cupboard and left to fester.

But then that night after a hard day at work, Octavius was there messaging her feet and rubbing her neck to get all the knots out and he had run her a hot bubble bath to soak away the night in.

They weren't going to make it easy for her heart or mind to choose and Hermione hated that whoever she chose the other was going to get hurt. Both the men in her life were amazing people who deserved the very best.

 **oOo**

Draco looked at the table spread out before him, he had set the terrace up with rose petals spread out, candles and had made the pasta they had on their first dinner with a decadent strawberries and chocolate for dessert ready for Hermione to come over for dinner. As he made the last adjustment to the table he heard a noise from below and knew Hermione was here, it was time he tell her how he feels. It had been months and he had been hiding his feelings since way before Octavius had left her broken and he couldn't hold on any longer.

"Draco? Where are you?" Her heavenly voice drifted up the stairs to him and he made his way through his upstairs study and out into the hallway. Standing at the top of the stairs he called down to her to come up and gasped when he got his first view of her.

Standing in front of him was a vision of beauty. Hermione was dressed in a navy blue cocktail dress, at the midriff there was a gold belt, the chiffon material clung to her form and her curls were tamed and hung over one shoulder. He gently picked up her left hand and laid a kiss on it. "Absolutely gorgeous dress, shall we?" He gestured back toward his study.

They walked through the study and onto the terrace, Hermione breathed in, the surprise spreading across her features.

He pulled the seat for her and waited before she was comfortable before sitting down himself, pouring her a glass of wine and lifting the silver lid off her plate he revealed the first course to her. She smiled at him and dug in. "How'd you get the chef to cook for you at home?"

"I didn't, I got the recipe off him and made it myself."

As the meal carried on, Draco got more and more nervous as he took a deep breath and went to speak, "Hermione, I have something to say."

She said "Draco, I have something to say" at the same time.

He gestured for her to go first when she laughed and apologised.

"Draco, it's been really nice these last few months and you've really been good to me and I've become close to you."

Draco smiled at her thinking he felt the same and maybe he didn't have to make a fool of himself after all, she seemed to be gearing up to tell him something big so he nodded for her to continue.

"I've had so much fun hanging out with you and I hope to continue to be as close of _friends_ as we've become."

When he heard the way she made sure to emphasise the friends part he felt a sick feeling deep down within him. She wasn't telling him she felt the same way. She wanted them to be friends, but why? They had chemistry.

"But over the last few weeks, me and Octavius have been talking about how things went and he was only doing it to protect me from the bad reputation he had gotten from the war and we've decided to try our relationship again, I really hope this won't change things between us, he's okay with us being friends." her voice trailed off into nothing and all Draco could do was repeat her words over in his head again. She was getting back with Octavius after all he had done to her.

After all these months of her being broken and Draco building her back up she was really going back to him. How could she do this?

"I don't understand."

"I'm really sorry Draco, he's the one for me he's always been the one for me."

Draco remained silent thinking about how much effort he had put into this night and he felt his heart cracking, the pain was unbearable and he stood and rushed inside up to his bathroom locking himself in.

Taking deep breaths in and out trying to calm himself he took a moment before heading back down to the terrace he found her gone.

Of course she left, she was probably back at her house with Octavius right at this moment and he was all alone once again. He was glad he hadn't gotten the chance to lay his heart out for her to crush further. At least she didn't know how he felt.

 **oOo**

Hermione had taken a while to settle back into routine with Octavius after he had left her broken, Draco hadn't talked to her since their dinner, when she had given him the news that she was getting back with Octavius. She thought back to that night and knew Draco was right when they should take some time to separate their feelings and learn the new- old dynamic.

She had seen him around the Wizarding Community and at the Ministry of Magic but he had avoided contact with her thus far. He was heartbroken as she was when Octavius had left her in the lurch and she really felt for him but sometimes, all your one love had to say was they wanted to get back together and that was that, you went back to old habits and hoped they didn't leave you again.

"Hermione, love. When are you coming back to bed?" The deep voice filled with sleepiness came from behind her. When she turned and faced him she saw his mussed Brown hair and sleep filled chocolate eyes and smiled, this was what had drawn her to him in the first place. He had a way of showing her, he was all in just by the way he filled her house with his things again.

Peering around the room she saw some of his clothes strewn around and pictures of his family and friends, with anyone else it would annoy her but with Octavius it only endeared him to her more.

Walking over to him and threading her fingers through his thick hair, she stood on her toes and sealed her lips over his, for a moment she lost herself in the kiss and then pulled back smiling, "I love you, Octavius, thank you for bringing my heart back."

"I love you too, Hermione, I couldn't very well go around without my heart now could I?" Smiling down at her sweetly he kissed her softly again. "Now are you coming back to bed or are we watching a movie?"

Hermione paused thinking, grabbing his hand she dragged him over to the lounge and pulled him down with her, "Lets watch a movie, we don't have anything on tomorrow so we can have a lazy day."

Nodding he grabbed the remote and went to Netflix, picking The Proposal, knowing that when she was in the mood for a lazy day the next day that was her go to film. He didn't mind today as it got him thinking of how he could propose to her and how he would get Harry's permission first. Knowing that he was the closest thing she had to family after the war.

Hermione leant on his chest relaxing for the first time that day, kissing her on the head he settled in knowing that she was his and no one was getting in the way of them again. He had been an idiot listening to his parents and letting them convince she was too good for him and she'd never love him enough to make up for his rough life from the war.

What they didn't know, was that the two of them had helped each other heal their wounds and had grown stronger and closer for it. Octavius wasn't letting her get away.

Not even halfway through the movie, he heard the light snores and smiled. Standing slowly and placing one arm behind her back and the other under her knees, he lifted and carried her to their bedroom, slowly placing her on the bed he covered her with the duvet and curled up behind her falling asleep easily for the first time in weeks with a peace of mind that Hermione and he were safe.

* * *

 **The writer would like to thank you for reading and reviewing this story! Hope you enjoy xxx**


	16. Ending Notes

**That's a wrap, we really hope you enjoyed reading these stories as much as we did and thank you to all of the writers for joining us in this contest! Can't wait to see the results at the end so don't forget to vote and comment on each story!**

 **Thanks! Love y'all**

 **Platform Fanfiction Coordinators**

 **Kristie-Lee Perrott, Kiri Ullman, Ashley Valentin, Ashlee Lynn Geautreux, Sommer Skye Salyers, Carly Ann, Charissa Horton, Taylor Widdifield and Patricia Joy Ojeda.**


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